Susan Geason

Born in New Norfolk, Tasmania, to Urban James and Joan Susan (née Oakford) Geason, she grew up in Queensland and graduated from the University of Queensland with a BA in History and Politics. Geason emigrated to Canada in 1970. After working as a librarian at the Toronto Institute of Technology, she was hired as administrative assistant for the Association of Part-time Students (APUS) at the University. At APUS she organised the first Ontario Conference on Women in Education and the first conference of executives of part-time student organisations in Canada. She also advocated for part-time students and represented APUS on university committees. She also completed a Masters Qualifying and received two university scholarships to complete a Masters in Political Philosophy and begin a PhD. University of Toronto. During 1974-76, Geason was a Junior Fellow at Massey College in the University of Toronto, during which she completed course work for Comparative Public Administration as a second teaching option, a requirement for a PhD, and worked as a teaching assistant for undergraduate political philosophy students. She also carried out two three-month research projects for the Ontario Government's Women's Bureau. On returning to Australia in 1976, she was a research assistant for the Teachers Registration Board in Brisbane before being chosen for the Commonwealth Government's Assistant Research Officer Program. After a reluctant stint in the Defence Department, she became a legislative researcher in the Parliamentary Library, Canberra, in 1978-80. From 1980 to 1981 was education editor of The National Times. From March 1982 to 1985 Geason was a policy officer in the Cabinet Office of the NSW Premier's Department. From 1985 to 1987, she was head of Information and Publications with the NSW State Pollution Control Commission. From 1991 to 1997, Geason was literary editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. Since 1987, she has worked as a freelance writer, editor and communications consultant, writing and editing reports and speeches for government and business clients. The State Library of New South Wales holds the Susan Geason papers, 1989-2001, relating to the books she was writing at that time and comprising correspondence, draft manuscripts, interview notes, book plans, news clippings, research and photographs. Geason was awarded a PhD in creative writing by the School of English, Media Studies and Art History at the University of Queensland in 2005 for her thesis, "Under the Canopy of Heaven : Charlotte Brontë and Mary Taylor; What Mary Knew : The Relationship Between Mary Taylor and Charlotte Brontë". It was published as What Mary Knew : Mary Taylor and Charlotte Brontë in 2011. == Publications ==