The daughter of Thomas Short and Elizabeth Parker Short, Joan Givner was born in Manchester, England on September 5, 1936. She was educated at the Bolton School (1948-1955) and the University of London where she received a B.A. (Hons.) in 1958. She moved to the United States where she lectured at Port Huron Junior College in Michigan (1960-1965), and earned an M.A. in 1962 from Washington University in St. Louis. In 1965 she commenced her association with the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus, working initially as a lecturer in the Department of English. Following her return to the University of London where she attained a Ph.D. in 1972, Dr. Givner was appointed assistant professor. She reached the rank of full professor in 1982 with what had by then become the University of Regina. Upon her retirement in 1995 she moved to Victoria, British Columbia. During her career Joan Givner published several books, articles, reviews, poems, and short stories. She received several Canada Council grants for writing, and in 1977-78 she was awarded the prestigious United States National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship. Her most notable publication is the biographical work 'Katherine Ann Porter: A Life' (Simon and Shuster, 1982). Joan Givner was married to David Givner in 1965 and they have two daughters, Emily Jane and Jessie Louise.