Maria Duncalf-Barber was born in Liverpool, England, and has lived in Muskoka for 33 years. She wrote a column on Personal Growth for Muskoka Direct TV, hosted and presented 116 half hour TV shows, ‘Personal Growth and Self Development’, for Gravenhurst Cable 10 and crafted written columns of the content for the Muskoka guide.
As a therapist and educator, Maria has written and presented workshops for many agencies in Muskoka: ‘Women and Journal Writing’, ‘Women Aging Authentically’, ‘Women and Alcohol’. ‘Journey Towards Wholeness’. She also facilitates Women’s Retreats and workshops: ‘The Queens Quest’, ‘The Goddess Quest’, ‘The Princess Quest.
Maria teaches Women Retreats, Empowerment courses, and is working on publications of these courses, ‘Women and Journal Writing’, ‘Women Aging Authentically’, ‘Women and Alcohol’.
In 2003 and 2004, 2006 she Judged for Muskoka Magazine Writers competition. She won third prize at Muskoka Writing Out Loud contest. Over the years, Maria has read at many public events including Bracebridge Library, Canada Day, Muskoka Music Festival, Muskoka Writers Marathon, Chautauqua, Walking In My Mothers Shoes. She was a semi finalist for ‘Moondance’ in America, short stories.
In addition, Maria has written articles for Muskoka Times, Bracebridge Examiner, The Weekender, North Country Business. She wrote her permanent column in the magazine ‘Bracebridge Today’ interviewing people in the Muskoka community. She also wrote for Muskoka Magazine 2002-2015 and had many photographs published.
She has published short stories and memoirs for the Canadian Author’s Association in 5 Wordscape anthologies. Chapbooks of poetry, two short stories in 2008, a Muskoka anthology ‘Yesterday, Memoirs’ and ‘Voices of Muskoka Women’.