About the Author

Mike Paterson, B.A., Ph.D., grew up in, on and under the Moana Nui Kiwa - the Pacific Ocean - and with a love of, and respect for Maori and Pacific Island Polynesian culture. He sailed, dived, surfed and swam his way into adulthood with wide-ranging interests, passionate curiosity and a passion for travel. Writing has been his passion since his eighth birthday when his mother gave him a copy of Edmund Spenser's The Fairie Queen as his birthday present. The concise, sound-rich Old English of Spenser has been an ongoing source of inspiration. More than 30 years in journalism have never dulled his passion or imagination: he writes with idealism, vigor and purpose about things he knows deeply. He is fascinated by cultural diversity and has traveled widely in pursuit of varied ways of experiencing and understanding "the human condition." Mike Paterson's scholarly interests lie in the cultural aspects of identity formation, and intercultural relations. His 2001 Ph.D. dissertation for the University of Glasgow examined such issues in relation to Scotland's international promotion and marketing activity. Mike launched, designed and produced the successful international Piping Today magazine for the National Piping Centre, Glasgow, and is the creator and presenter of a course, With Love: Gifting Your Stories to Grandchildren, which encourages older people to pass on family lore to younger generations. Most recently, this was successfully offered in Kingston, Ontario, in April 2017.