She was a small figure of a woman, but this was deceptive.  She was never short on logic or turn of phrase; she was incandescent. She knew her politics, and she knew how to argue. Which is to say, lay out the logic of the matter while recruiting the heart.  And she was speaking English as a second language. An English inflected with Spanish , with the cadence and the logic of it.  But also with the culture of her native Chile, and that powerful combination of  politics and poetry, of political savvy and serious fun.  These talents and energies she brought to Canada and Canadian letters. Here she melded North and South America,  the past and the present, building an audience on Radio-Canada , and a community in Vancouver.  For me, a fellow writer and Writers' Union activist,  I found in her a political dedication that abides in friendship -- the two come together.  Naturally and inevitably, she is the person you want on your team.  And so she has put endless time into committees, the chairing task forces, and writing of briefs.  We all owe her for this.  But I still have to say that working with her has been one of my life's great pleasures.