Wanda Swiderski
Wanda Swiderski
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Wanda Swiderski is the daughter of Carmela Lono and Jan Swiderski and a sibling to three brothers, Johnny, Sandy, and Eddy, and a sister, Mary. As a young girl, Wanda’s interest in education manifested itself in different ways: studying the planets and constellations of the universe for an entire summer at age ten, participating in competitive spelling bees, and visiting museums from age twelve onward to satisfy her fascination with art. In her youth, Wanda demonstrated a natural ability for drawing and crafting.
Wanda graduated from Marianopolis College in 1972. Her time there stimulated her enthusiasm for independent research. McGill University accepted Wanda into their Teaching Program in 1974. In 1977, she graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree, majoring in English education. Wanda’s happiest recollection of McGill was discovering Margaret Atwood’s Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature, which shaped her reading of Canadian fiction thereafter. In the Spring of 1977, the Faculty of Education at McGill University published two of Wanda’s poems, Butterfly and Encounter, in its Thumbprints publication.
Holy Rosary School
After graduating from McGill in 1977, the world of work awaited her. It was during her first teaching assignment in the fall of 1977 at Holy Rosary School in Mascouche, Quebec, that she came to know her future husband, Nick De Pinto. Her first Grade 7 teaching assignment involved English and art. Working with the students of Holy Rosary School brought her the greatest pleasure. Outside of school, Wanda interviewed Canadian poet Eli Mandel at the Côte Saint-Luc Public Library, and the article covering the interview, “Close Encounters of the Poetic Kind”, appeared in a local newspaper.
Queen of Angels Academy
In 1984, Wanda joined the faculty at Queen of Angels Academy, a dynamic private school for girls in Dorval, founded by the Sisters of Saint-Anne in 1959. As her passion for teaching grew, Wanda became interested in school administration, earning a Master of Education in School Administration from McGill University in 1987. It was during her years as a student in the program, in the spring of 1987, that she wrote the acclaimed article for the Journal of Education Canada, “The Problems Faced by Women in Gaining Access to Administrative Positions in Education”, which was published in the journal’s Fall 1988 edition. After several years as a teacher at Queen of Angels Academy, Wanda was appointed Assistant Principal. Among her many fond memories was working with devoted faculty and students, and leading the Harmony in Diversity project, which celebrated students’ backgrounds and cultures. She enjoyed working with Elizabeth Therrien Scanlan, Principal, who had a passion for developing clear policies and strategic plans for the school.
Wanda enjoyed inviting guest speakers to Queen of Angels Academy to illuminate the human condition. One notable speaker was Berry Fox, the mother of Terry Fox. In 1980, Terry led the Marathon of Hope across Canada. In Wanda’s words, “Betty Fox had the incredible ability to change the molecules of air in a room, imbuing a space with dynamic positivity. She inspired those in her presence to do more for others and noted our participation in the annual Terry Fox Run to fight cancer. Drawing on her son’s experience in the Marathon of Hope, she rallied students and faculty to never give up on their dreams. Her talk was unforgettable because she spoke of her own authentic experience, and we believed her. It came as no surprise to us when Betty Fox was an Olympic flagbearer and asked to be one of the carriers of the flame at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.” A second memorable speaker was the Honourable Stephen Lewis, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations (1984-88), who came to speak at Queen of Angels Academy on April 24, 1991. In her words, “I remember Stephen Lewis as a gifted orator. When he came to speak at the school, Stephen Lewis had been involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. He expanded how we saw the world, and through his touching, moving speech about his experiences, our knowledge of Africa and the world broadened.” Later, from 2001 to 2006, Stephen Lewis served as a special envoy to UN Secretary Kofi Annan, on HIV/AIDS in Africa, becoming the voice about Africa for our country and around the world. Over her years at the school, Wanda served on many school committees. One of her lasting achievements was as a founding member of The Quest Educational Foundation for Queen of Angels Academy, a foundation which supported the school for years thereafter.
The Study School
In 1998, Wanda became the Director of the Senior School at The Study, a private school for girls in Westmount, Quebec, founded in 1915 by the innovative Englishwoman, Margaret Gascoigne, whose admirable motivation was ‘to teach things that really mattered.’ In Wanda’s words, “The Study was an extraordinary place of learning. I was impressed by the House System and our weekly Assemblies, which brought everyone together and created school spirit. Assemblies, for the Senior and Junior schools, provided an opportunity to share successes in sports and competitions, sing songs, speak about cultural activities, welcome guest speakers, and broaden our understanding of the world. The passion of students was genuine, and the older students took on leadership responsibilities, using skills that would last them a lifetime. The Study had an exceptional faculty that had great skill in their individual teaching areas. They fostered a love for their subject and a love of learning. When I arrived at The Study in 1998, the school was on the forefront of innovation in technology, and we felt its impact as we attended meetings, went to classes where students used computers for notetaking and research, and where teachers taught classes, using computers for Smartboard-based lessons. It was a new world.”
The Study had a wide array of school activities. Among them was the annual theatre production, which showcased the talents of the students and faculty members. Poetry competitions and public speaking events demonstrated the students’ communication skills in both official languages, French and English. The annual Science Fair provided an opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of a science concept and to compete with other independent schools who presented their projects. Students participated in Math competitions to demonstrate their mathematical skill. An abundance of sports activities and competitions with other independent schools permitted the students to display their skills, while promoting good health, leadership, and essential life skills. Outreach was also an important part of our mission, and students participated in numerous community activities. The Girls for the Cure was an annual walk and event to support the fight against breast cancer. As we approached the holiday season, carolling in the neighbourhood was great fun and a way to raise funds for food baskets for needy families. The Study also supported the annual Toy Tea, a Junior School initiative, providing new, non-violent holiday toys for the children of abused women, residing in shelters in the Greater Montreal area. Having an impact on the world was also a serious hands-on experience, as students partnered with a sister school in Diria, Nicaragua. Not only were the students learning about a broader challenging world, but they were also making a difference and having a positive impact on a school in a distant part of the world. “One of my favourite activities was the annual Holiday Talent Show, where the students showcased their musical talents. A holiday meal with the entire school followed the show, and it included a visit from Santa for the Junior School. It was always a happy occasion.” In addition, there were many opportunities to travel on school trips. A personal highlight was The Study’s trip to China in 2001, when Wanda joined faculty members and 27 students and visited many landmarks, including the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Archaeological Site of the Terracotta Warriors in the ancient capital of Xi’an. There were numerous other activities that brought students and faculty together. Under the inspired leadership of Mary Liistro Hébert, Headmistress, the school thrived and grew, serving the community’s high aspirations for children to learn and excel.
In 2002, Wanda returned to teaching English. Concurrently with her teaching responsibilities, Wanda accepted to serve as a member of the writing team for the Quebec Ministry of Education for five years, creating the High School Leaving Exam in English Language Arts for the province of Quebec. During that time, Wanda moderated The Study’s annual literary magazine, “The Road Taken”, along with students and another faculty member. The literary magazine chronicled students’ exceptional written work. In 2003, Wanda received a Professional Development Award to deepen her studies, which enabled her to participate in the Teaching Seminar at Cambridge University, England. During her time there, she had the distinct pleasure of attending a seminar, featuring a presentation and readings by Sir Andrew Motion, the Poet Laureate of England. She also participated in seminars that explored creative writing. A few years later, in July 2007, Wanda joined the summer program at Oxford University’s Mansfield College in England and attended several dynamic seminars that offered rich writing experiences. In 2011, Wanda chose to step away from professional teaching responsibilities to pursue personal interests in art research and a passion for writing.
Book Talks
From 2012 to 2013, Wanda was invited to lead the monthly book talks at the Westmount Public Library. In small groups, avid readers came to these sessions to share their discoveries about a novel—among them Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Sue Monk Kidd’s The Invention of Wings and Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns. Sometime later, Wanda organized an ‘in conversation’ event for the faculty of The Study, where she interviewed Vietnam-born novelist Kim Thúy, who spoke about her journey leaving Vietnam and coming to Quebec—themes that were reflected in her acclaimed novel, Ru.
Studies in Museology
In 2014, Wanda was accepted into the joint museology program offered by Concordia University and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, allowing her to return to her first passion—art. In her recollection, “We learned the principles about guiding in a museum from Professor Emily Keenlyside and Professor Manon Douesnard in a program titled Museum Guide Training for The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. When we completed the program in 2015, we became museum guides and attended the Monday seminars at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which were exceptional, and which prepared us to guide visiting exhibitions. We attended presentations with wonderful guest speakers. Each museum curator spoke about upcoming exhibitions in their fields and described the artworks that would be presented in the galleries in special exhibitions for public viewing. In addition, guest speakers linked to books and artists (e.g. François-Marc Gagnon—an art historian, professor, and noted biographer of Paul-Émile Borduas) or specialists in art movements led dynamic seminars. These were glory days. As a docent, living in the galleries and leading visitors when they discovered and shared their knowledge about an artwork was a most rewarding experience.” Museum guides had access to the museum’s archives to research an acquisition, learn about an artwork’s provenance, and delve deeper into the artist who created it. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts provided many exceptional guiding experiences and two extraordinary opportunities for leadership. In 2017, Wanda had the opportunity to lead a Discovery Workshop for her peers on the art of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of art for which she had great passion and deep knowledge. In the spring of 2018, the Association of Volunteer Guides invited Wanda to work with a group of people with epilepsy, who took an art seminar at the museum’s Michel de la Chenelière International Atelier for Education and Art Therapy. “Through the museum’s collections, we explored themes of isolation, body image, community, and communication. The members of the group formed relationships and made connections with one another, and a strong contributing factor was the dynamic that developed as they shared the artworks.” In addition to sharing artworks with numerous visitors, Wanda contributed to Contact Magazine, the museum’s in-house magazine for the Association of Volunteer Guides. Over the years, she wrote book reviews for: “Impressionism in Canada: A Journey of Rediscovery” by A.K. Prakash and “Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies” by Ross King. She also contributed an article related to the Picasso exhibition, “Press the Refresh Button: Seeing Art from Africa to the Americas with Fresh Eyes.”
Rembrandt Research
Why Rembrandt? In 2019, Wanda began extensive research on the life and art of Rembrandt van Rijn, moved by his work and story. Over the years, she had the opportunity to appreciate Rembrandt’s artwork firsthand in the museums of the world and to read extensively on the subject of Rembrandt’s life. In her words, “In 2017, on a visit to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Rembrandt’s painting Isaac and Rebecca, known as The Jewish Bride (c. 1665-c.1669), stopped me in my tracks. The two figures expressed the epitome of tenderness for one another, and it moved me to the core. I felt as though I could see into the soul of the figures. The paint itself—in hues of rich gold and warm orange-red—was applied thickly, a technique called impasto. It created a sense of texture, liveliness, and dimension. When I came upon the enormous painting, The Night Watch (1642), the scale, figures, and colours mesmerized me. The use of light against dark was remarkable. The scene was not static but filled with action, and it enthralled me. Soon after, I discovered Jeremiah, Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem, in which a crestfallen biblical Jeremiah rests his weary head on his hand with Jerusalem in flames behind him. Jeremiah’s profound sorrow was palpable. Before I left the museum, I saw one of Rembrandt’s first self-portraits Self-Portrait, Rembrandt (1628), at age 22, with his face in half-shadow. Who was this mysterious young man who painted so beautifully at such a young age? I had to know more.”
After years of research and writing, the result is her debut novel, Becoming Rembrandt. Published in 2026, Becoming Rembrandt imagines Rembrandt as an apprentice, learning his craft in the workshop of his mentor, Master Jacob van Swanenburg. It also explores Rembrandt’s experiences as a young man, navigating his contentious family life.
In 2022, Wanda became a member of the Quebec Writers Federation with a designated professional status.
Rembrandt’s Fortunes is the working title of her next novel. It explores the artist’s experiences with Master Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam in 1624, his early years as an artist in Leiden from 1625 to 1631, and his subsequent return to Amsterdam, including his marriage to Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634. Rembrandt’s Fortunes is in the early stages of editing.