Compton was born and raised in the farming community of Bangor,
Prince Edward Island. Until retiring to write full-time in 2012, Dr. Compton taught
literature and creative writing for the Department of Humanities and Languages at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, where she also served as Writer-in-Residence and, for many years, the Director of the Lorenzo Reading Series. She serves on the New Brunswick Arts Board. ==Awards and honours==