Joan Marie Galat
Joan Marie Galat
Joan Marie Galat was born in Washington D.C. and lived in Virginia, Alaska and Maryland before her family settled in Edmonton, Alberta. As a child, she spent hours gazing up at the night sky from snow forts in her backyard and through car windows on long road trips.
Joan completed a diploma in biological sciences and ecology at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. She later took English and psychology courses through Athabasca University and discovered her love for writing, which brought her to take creative writing through the University of Alberta. After school, she worked as a radio announcer and eventually turned to freelance projects reporting for CBC Radio and writing multi-media and animation scripts, speeches, exhibit text, and various other articles.
Joan's fascination with astronomy led to her curiosity about the stories associated with the planets and constellations. She wanted to teach her children about astronomy and mythology, but could not find the right book to do it. As a result, Joan embarked on her Dot to Dot in the sky series with Dot to Dot in the Sky: Stories in the Stars, which has sold 11,000 copies since its first printing in 2001.
Joan is often invited to speak at schools about planets, stars and myths, and entertains students by illustrating the concept of falling stars by juggling star-shaped bean bags. She now lives in Stony Plain, Alberta, with her three children, Matthew, Gina and Amy. She currently operates MoonDot Media, a communications company which offers writing and editing services for broadcast, print, and multi-media. Stories of the Zodiac is the fourth installment in her Dot to Dot in the Sky series.
Joan completed a diploma in biological sciences and ecology at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. She later took English and psychology courses through Athabasca University and discovered her love for writing, which brought her to take creative writing through the University of Alberta. After school, she worked as a radio announcer and eventually turned to freelance projects reporting for CBC Radio and writing multi-media and animation scripts, speeches, exhibit text, and various other articles.
Joan's fascination with astronomy led to her curiosity about the stories associated with the planets and constellations. She wanted to teach her children about astronomy and mythology, but could not find the right book to do it. As a result, Joan embarked on her Dot to Dot in the sky series with Dot to Dot in the Sky: Stories in the Stars, which has sold 11,000 copies since its first printing in 2001.
Joan is often invited to speak at schools about planets, stars and myths, and entertains students by illustrating the concept of falling stars by juggling star-shaped bean bags. She now lives in Stony Plain, Alberta, with her three children, Matthew, Gina and Amy. She currently operates MoonDot Media, a communications company which offers writing and editing services for broadcast, print, and multi-media. Stories of the Zodiac is the fourth installment in her Dot to Dot in the Sky series.
