Florence Randal Livesay

Born Florence Hamilton Randal on November 3, 1874, in Ontario, she became known as Florence Randal Livesay after marrying journalist J. F. B. Livesay. She wrote poetry, essays, and translations, and is remembered as part of Canada’s literary world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Livesay published several books of verse and is especially noted for Songs of Ukraina (1916), a collection that helped introduce Ukrainian songs and poems to English-language readers. Alongside her literary work, she was active in social causes, including the women’s movement and prison reform, giving her career a strong public-minded side.

She died on July 28, 1953. She was also the mother of poet Dorothy Livesay, making hers a family deeply connected to Canadian letters.