Helga Rausch, CD, MA, MFA. Writer, Editor, Veteran
I have always been a storyteller.
As a teen reporter for The Sault Star, I first learned the art of crafting a good story. I also learned painful lessons about the importance of editing.
I graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in 1986 with a BA in English Literature and Philosophy and a commission as a logistics officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. I am proud to say that over a 38-year military career, I used that degree every day. I added an MA in War Studies in 2001, also from RMC.
Wherever I served, I quickly became known as the “one who can write.” I drafted myriad orders, reports, policy documents and letters and was frequently asked to review the work of others. My reputation caught up to me when I was selected to become the Canadian Army Publishing Officer. For six years, I provided the final edit of all the Army’s doctrinal publications and the Canadian Army Journal, the Army’s professional journal.
During my military service, I also completed editing projects on my own time. Two examples:
- Soldiers of the Queen: The Canadian Grenadier Guards of Montreal, 1859-2009, by William John Patterson; 2009
- RMC Treasures: Selections from the Museum of the Royal Military College of Canada, edited by Helga Grodzinski (my married name); 2016
I also wrote columns for the Kingston Whig-Standard as a member of the Community Editorial Board, and poetry and short stories in Arch-l’Arc, the creative journal for students and staff of RMC.
Retiring from active duty in September 2020, I realized I needed a grown-up job. I went back to school and obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction from the University of King’s College, class of 2023. I have established a home-based editing business. In my spare time, I volunteer as an editor for the charitable Order of St. George and as a board governor for the Commissionaires Kingston Division.
I am under contract with Dundurn Press for a book about the history of women in the Canadian Armed Forces. It is tentatively titled Leaders, All: Women in the Canadian Armed Forces 1950 to the Present.
I have begun work on a second book, tentatively titled Obstacle Course, a memoir of my time at the Royal Military College and my military career.
When not at my desk, I can usually be found outdoors––cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, gardening, kayaking or riding my bicycle. Finally, I am a proud mom and grandmother, and the sidekick of a Hungarian Vizsla named Frida.
