Dora Beale Polk

Dora Beale Polk was born in Pontnewydd, Monmouthshire, and went to school in Pontypool. She was at college in Cardiff during World War II, taught English and was very active in the Labour party. She moved to Colorado for a year, married and has lived in America ever since. She comes back to Britain every year. She pursued Celtic studies for an MFA and PhD at the University of California, Irvine, taught literature and creative writing for more than twenty years at California State University at Long Beach and is now Emeritus Professor. She became active in Democratic politics while living in the States. Besides teaching, she has worked as a secretary to a labour union leader, staff writer for a national farm organization, and speechwriter and campaign aide to a U.S. Senator. She has published a number of popular suspense novels as well as academic works.