Authors

Joan was born in Wimbledon S.W. London in 1924. In her own words was hopeless at school, taking years to discover the reason - she was slightly dyslexic, yearning to learn but having serious blocks in the brain department. Therefore on leaving school she was deemed only fit for housework so went to work for her grandmother. Then into shop work before becoming catering manager at the age of sixteen. Munitions was her next post, paint spraying aircraft parts hidden in some woods at Virginia Waters. At seventeen she had itchy feet and joined the Women's Air Force under age. It was then her brain went into gear and she learned many skills of which one was touch typing.

In her late thirties she had a strong urge to write. Despite opposition she wrote her first short story, "The Cable", which was accepted by the BBC and was invited to read it over the air. Then came inspirational poetry that was read over National radio in New Zealand. She was invited to speak on a Pacific One radio programme about her psychic abilities. Later she discovered that having read one of her poems that evening it had saved the life of an alcoholic who was about to commit suicide in an Auckland hotel room. Some poems were also published in Doris Stoke's books.

Because Joan cared for the mentally handicapped during the last five years of her working life she wrote an article on this subject, which was accepted and published by a national magazine, namely Woman's Own.

Contact Joan Vass