Anita Best grew up on Merasheen Island in Placentia Bay which was abandoned during Newfoundland's community re-settlement program, under Joey Smallwood. This early life in one of Newfoundland's most culturally rich regions inspired a passion to preserve and interpret the traditions which seemed to be departing with the disappearing communities. Initially she began professional work as a classroom teacher, oral historian and folklorist and eventually incorporated these into careers as diverse as radio broadcasting, professional recording and university level instruction. Anita Best was the host and writer of a popular local CBC radio series, "A Little Ball of Yarns" in 1995-96 which featured singers, storytellers and Newfoundland calendar customs, but it is her singing that has made her most famous. Best has been recorded on several folk albums and has two complete works to her credit, "The Colour of Amber", with Pamela Morgan, and "Crosshanded” unaccompanied renditions of twelve traditional Newfoundland songs. Anita Best's careful and tasteful interpretation has enriched and extended an art form she has devoted her life to preserving. Anita Best is the creator of Newfoundland Voices, her own production company, which ran an outdoor concert series from Cape Spear every summer for seven years as well as numerous concerts from local venues. Best continues to tour as a storyteller and traditional singer, and also freelances as a policy consultant. In 2001 she accepted an appointment to teach an annual semester course in Newfoundland traditional song at Memorial University’s School of Music. In 2003 the Folklore Studies Association of Canada (FSAC/ACEF) awarded her the Marius Barbeau medal for her contribution to folklore studies in Canada. Anita Best's music recordings are available through Amber Music.
FOR RATTLING BOOKS:
Anita Best reads two stories on In the Chambers of the Sea. She is the voice of Mary Dalton's poems on Merrybegot.