Writing
Poetry & Stories
After retiring from a 32-year public service career, Adrienne Stevenson started serious work on writing, a lifelong goal. She finds all aspects of the craft intriguing.
The writing community is important: her memberships include an Ottawa poetry workshop active since 2012. Four to six active poets meet monthly to workshop their current drafts and provide mutual encouragement. All current members have published in various print and online journals and anthologies.
For six years, Adrienne was a member of a short story critique group, also meeting monthly. By the end of her work with them, she had written more than a dozen stories, and continues to write more. Several are published.
She is currently a member of a novel-writing critique group, meeting bimonthly.
Adrienne has also attended numerous writing classes, and is a frequent attendee at the Surrey International Writers Conference, held in Surrey, British Columbia. In 2021 she attended her first Historical Novel Society Conference, held virtually.
forensic science
forensic toxicology & equine drug testing
After graduating with degrees in Biochemistry (B.Sc.) and Pharmacology (M.Sc.) Adrienne trained as a forensic toxicologist with the RCMP Crime Laboratories. With six years of casework under her belt, she went on to spend the remainder of her career managing the Canadian national Equine Drug Control program, where she wrote numerous scientific and regulatory papers on subjects ranging from drug analysis to quality assurance.
history & genealogy
background & research for stories
As a descendant of colonial migrants from various parts of Europe, Adrienne has always been interested in where people came from, and why. Canadian history was not well-taught during her school years (1960s), and recent events (2021/22) have more than borne that out. She continues her personal exploration of history via genealogy and background research for stories and novels.