St. John’s author and activist Helen Fogwill Porter will be remembered as a writer who broke down barriers in the Newfoundland literary scene and as a friend whose caring nature touched the hearts of many.
Porter, who died Thursday at the age of 92, was placed in the Order of Canada in 2015 for her writing and political activism. She wrote regularly about difficult subjects like abortion, poverty and child abuse — subjects that were often considered taboo at the time she wrote about them, said Porter’s longtime friend Bernice Morgan.
“Helen was a real philanthropist,” Morgan, a Newfoundland writer who has been friends with Porter for over 50 years, said Monday.
“She was a really, really remarkable person. She enriched my life so much.”
Porter was known for her 1980 memoir, Under the bridge, who explored what it was like growing up on Southside Road in St. John’s. Morgan said the memoir painted a portrait of working-class life in Newfoundland.
In her honor, the city of St. John’s named a pedestrian bridge over the Waterford River after her in 2015.
“I think it’s one of the most interesting and meaningful autobiographies I’ve ever read,” said Morgan, who says Porter’s writing was always full of impeccable nuance and detail.
Porter’s first novel January, February, June or July, wrote about abortion and won the Canadian Library Association’s Young Adult Canadian Book Award.
“I think she will be remembered as a person who broke down barriers to subjects to write about,” Morgan said.
Porter was also a founding member of the provincial Writers’ Guild and one of the founders of the Status of Women Council. She also ran in four elections for the New Democratic Party.
Morgan, who also received the Order of Canada, says she and Porter have been friends since they met at a creative writing class 50 years ago. The pair both wrote well into their 80s, and Morgan says they always shared ideas and books.
Aside from her writing, Morgan says she will always be remembered for Porter as someone who was interested in learning about the lives of others and cared deeply about people.
“She was so nice and gave everyone so much,” Morgan said. “I loved her very much.”
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