Danuta Gleed was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 writer.

She was born in Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

 in a British camp for displaced persons where she spent her early childhood. In 1958, her family moved to England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. At the time of her death, she was living in Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

.

Many of her stories drew on her Polish background.

She studied writing with Frances Itani

Frances Itani

Frances Susan Itani is a Canadian fiction writer, poet and essayist.Itani was born in Belleville, Ontario and grew up in Quebec. She studied nursing in Montreal and North Carolina, a profession which she taught and practised for eight years. However, after enrolling in a writing class taught by W. O...

, Audrey Thomas

Audrey Thomas

Audrey Grace Thomas, OC is a Canadian novelist and short story writer who lives on Galiano Island, British Columbia.-Biography:...

, Bryan Moon, and Rita Donovan.

Her short stories appeared in many literary journals and won several competitions. Her story "Bones" was nominated for the 1996 Journey Prize

Journey Prize

The Journey Prize is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by McClelland and Stewart and the Writers' Trust of Canada for the best short story published by an emerging writer in a Canadian literary magazine. The award was endowed by James A...

. A collection, One of the Chosen, was published posthumously by BuschekBooks in 1997.

In 1997, John Gleed endowed the Danuta Gleed Literary Award

Danuta Gleed Literary Award

The Danuta Gleed Literary Award recognizes a first collection of short fiction by a Canadian author writing in English. The award is presented annually by the Writers' Union of Canada and was endowed by John Gleed in honour of his late wife....

in honour of his late wife. The annual award recognizes a first collection of short fiction by a Canadian author writing in English.