Editing W. O. Mitchell (section)

==Early life and career==
W. O. Mitchell was born in [[Weyburn]], [[Saskatchewan]]. He studied [[psychology]] and [[philosophy]] at the [[University of Manitoba]] in [[Winnipeg]] and then completed his [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] and a teaching certificate at the [[University of Alberta]] in 1943. While at the University of Alberta, Mitchell became a brother of the [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity (Delta Phi chapter).

An author of novels, short stories, and plays, Mitchell is best known for his 1947 novel, ''Who Has Seen The Wind'', which has sold close to a million copies in North America,<ref name = CBCbooks/> and the radio series and later a collection of short stories 1961, ''[[Jake and the Kid]]'', which subsequently won the [[Stephen Leacock Award]]. Both of these portray life on the Canadian Prairies where he grew up in the early part of the 20th century. He has often been called the [[Mark Twain]] of Canada for his vivid tales of young boys' adventures.

In 1942, while Mitchell was teaching high school, three of his short stories were published. In 1947 his first and trademark novel ''Who Has Seen the Wind'' was published to critical acclaim and commercial success. In 1948 Mitchell moved to [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]] to become the fiction editor for ''[[Maclean's]]'' magazine. While residing in Toronto, Mitchell created ''Jake and the Kid'', a weekly radio series for the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] whose 320 episodes ran from 1950 to 1956. These productions were produced by Swedish immigrant CBC Radio head, Esse W. Ljungh.

In addition to producing a large body of work, Mitchell served as professor of creative writing and writer-in-residence at several Canadian universities and was the director of the [[Banff Centre]]'s writing division. In 1974 he returned to Winnipeg, where he served a term as Writer in Residence at the [[Winnipeg School Division]] No.1 and was given an honorary doctorate by [[Brandon University]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Winnipeg School Division collection of material relating to W.O. Mitchell|publisher=University of Calgary|url=https://searcharchives.ucalgary.ca/index.php/winnipeg-school-division-no-1-collection-of-material-relating-to-w-o-mitchell|accessdate=March 4, 2021}}</ref> Mitchell spent his later years in [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], dying there in 1998.