“Being a writer means that I spend my life exploring life, its deepest meanings, and creating hopefully intriguing narratives that express what I discover,” awarding-winning writer and Trent alumnus Shane Peacock ’75 says. “Being a writer, an artist of any sort, is to me about simply living your life, observing it and others’, and recording it in an aesthetically interesting way.”

Mr. Peacock is a playwright, non-fiction writer, young readers’ author, and documentarian with many fond memories of his alma mater. “The campus was beautiful and a great place to live,” he says. “Trent helped to steer me in the direction I am still going. My years here were formative ones, when I really began to get excited about the thing that is my lifelong passion.”

Mr. Peacock cites a number of Trent professors, including English and Cultural Studies professor Dr. Richard Dellamora, as a great inspiration. “He truly opened up literature for me, showing me the depth of the art I was studying”, Mr. Peacock says of Prof. Dellamora, adding, “He taught me to value art like I never had before.”

Mr. Peacock’s latest series of books for younger readers is called The Boy Sherlock Holmes, and tells, for the first time in history, the childhood adventures of the great detective.

“These books are ‘cross-over’ novels, suitable for both older kids and for adults, who make up a good portion of my audience,” Mr. Peacock explains about the series. “They are challenging and a little dark.”

The first book of Mr. Peacock’s Sherlock series, Eye of the Crow, was honoured with a number of literary awards and nominations, including the Violet Downey Award for best kids’ book in Canada, the Arthur Ellis for best young adult crime fiction, and runner-up for the Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Death in the Air, the second book of the series is a Junior Library Guild of America Premier Selection. The third in the series, Vanishing Girl, will be released in September 2009.

Mr. Peacock knew he wanted to be a writer after studying grade 13 English, but it was through his time at Trent that really made him realize his passion was a plausible career.

“My experience at Trent convinced me to pursue it,” he says. “That intense experience of working with highly-educated professors up-close has certainly helped me in my career as a writer.”