Our Alumni

Joy Fielding, Hart House Alumni, Writer

Joy Fielding is a successful, New York Times Bestselling writer of over 20 novels. Her popular thrillers include See Jane Run, The Other Woman, The Deep End and Missing Pieces.

As a child she loved letting her imagination run loose. She sent her first story off to a magazine when she was eight years old and continued writing all through her teen years. In her last year of high school, her English teacher announced to the class that Joy was going to be a writer and Joy more or less agreed for lack of any better plan.

At the University of Toronto, Joy discovered acting. While working her way through a BA in English Literature, she acted in 20-odd campus productions and in 1965 starred in the student-produced, Winter Kept Us Warm, the first English-language film to be screened at Cannes. Upon graduation, Joy moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

After three years in LA, Joy returned to Toronto and her first love of writing won out. Joy now writes approximately a novel a year, and is always on the lookout for good ideas—pulling inspiration from magazines, newspaper articles, headlines and her own life. Because Joy’s books are sold all over the world and in almost every language, she focuses on sharing a universal experience in her work—the  basic emotions we all share. Her realistic characters and  engaging plotlines have won her fans around the globe and on the internet. Joy can be followed at twitter.com/joyfielding, facebook and joyfielding.com

I really believe that, in many ways, Hart House saved my life, or at the very least, my university career. I was a struggling first year student in English Lang and Lit, suffering through almost forty hours of classes a week and not knowing what hit me. Believe it or not, I hadn't read a whole lot in high school, only the books we had to read, none of which I was particularly crazy about. But I knew I wanted to be a writer and that having a background in literature was essential. So there I was, studying middle-English and Chaucer, Shakespeare, Greek and Latin Literature, American literature and poetry, as well as philosophy, fine art and Italian. And I was miserable, on the verge of quitting. I decided, at my mother's urging, to try out for a play at Hart House—Heartbreak House. I got the part—I think I was the mother—and I absolutely loved being on that stage. The theatre was—and remains—magnificent, intimate yet commanding, just the right size and shape, perfect in every respect. Being on the stage changed my whole feeling about being at university. No longer did I feel overwhelmed and under-appreciated. I was part of something I loved, and that carried over to my whole university experience. I went on to appear in many more plays at Hart House over the next few years, including The Father and A Thurber Revue. We also filmed a number of key scenes there, including my nude scene (one of Canada's first) for the student film, Winter Kept Us Warm. I really treasure my memories of Hart House.
–Joy Fielding, April, 2011