Ann Copeland
1932-


Virginia (Walsh) Furtwangler (born 16 December 1932) is an American-Canadian author, writing under the name Ann Copeland. She was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. She attended the Catholic University of American and received her Ph.D. in Modern Literature from Cornell University. Furtwangler spent 13 years as an Ursuline nun, teaching English literature in both high school and college. In 1968, Furtwangler married Albert Furtwangler. They later moved to New Brunswick, Canada where Albert taught at Mount Allison University. Furtwangler taught in nearby cities and decided to begin writing and publishing in 1974. Her first penname was Ann Bernard, used only for a short time. She then changed to Ann Copeland. Many of Furtwangler's stories were published in journals and anthologies. Six collections of her work have been published in Canada: At Peace (1978), The Back Room (1979), Earthen Vessels (1984), The Golden Thread (1989), Strange Bodies on a Stranger Shore (1994) and Season of Apples (1996). In addition to writing, Furtwangler taught English literature and writing at Canadian and American universities including the University of Idaho, Linfield College, Bemidji State, and Wichita State, as well as many writing workshops around the U.S and Canada. In 1996, her compilation of fiction writing tips, The ABC's of Writing Fiction was published in the U.S. That same year Furtwangler became the first Hallie Ford Chair of English at Willamette University. She served in that position until 1999. She was awarded a Doctor of Laws (honorary) from the University New Brunswick in 1997.

Source

Virginia Furtwangler aka Ann Copeland papers”.  Archives West, finding aid processed by Ashley Toutain, 2015.  Accessed 7 April 2023.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Sackville

Archival Material

General Archival Note

The Colbert Agency fonds (R2841-0-3-E, MG28-I493) at Library and Archives Canada has correspondence and manuscripts related to Ann Copeland in addition to material found in the fonds listed below.

  • Location
    Willamette University Archives and Special Collections
    Retrieval Number
    WUA079
    Date Range of Material
    1966-2014
    Extent

    11.5 linear feet (16 boxes)

    Scope and Content Note

    The Virginia Furtwangler aka Ann Copeland papers contain Furtwangler's published and unpublished writing. Her papers document the writing process from initial notes to manuscript drafts to final published works. Also included is correspondence with potential publishers, book reviews, book tour information, and newspaper publicity covering her stories. In addition to her writing, the collection contains Furtwangler's teaching materials used while teaching workshops and University courses, and materials gathered while she was the Hallie Brown Ford Chair of English from 1996 to 1999.

Headshot of Ann Copeland
Picture Caption
Credit

Courtesy of University of New Brunswick Libraries, Archives & Special CollectionsUA PR, Series 4, item 53, 1969. Accessed 25 April 2023.

Bibliography Items

Displaying 1 - 6 of 6
Copeland, Ann. At peace : stories. Ottawa, ON: Oberon Press, 1978, 164 pp. [ book ]

Copeland, Ann. The back room. Ottawa, ON: Oberon Press, 1979, 149 pp. [ book ]

Copeland, Ann. Earthern vessels : stories. Ottawa, ON: Oberon Press, 1984, 134 pp. [ book ]

Copeland, Ann. Strange bodies on a stranger shore. Fredericton, NB: Goose Lane Editions, 1994, 236 pp. [ book ]

Copeland, Ann. The Golden Thread. Fredericton, NB: Goose Lane Editions, 1995, 274 pp. [ book ]

Copeland, Ann. Season of apples. Fredericton, NB: Goose Lane Editions, 1996, 216 pp. [ book ]