An icon of Canadian literature, Margaret Laurence was one of this country’s most esteemed and beloved authors. Years spent overseas provided material for her earliest works and the distance she needed to write about Canada, but she said it was Neepawa that shaped her “way of viewing.” Regionalism, realism, and feminism defined her best-known novels set in the fictional prairie town of Manawaka, populated with unforgettable characters like Hagar Shipley of The Stone Angel. Dedicated to the literary arts and a mentor to many, Laurence helped found the Writers’ Trust of Canada and the Writers’ Union of Canada. She lived here from 1935 to 1944.