ABOUT
Lori Thicke is a bestselling Canadian author, entrepreneur, and international speaker. Her memoir, Dreamer’s Daughter (Simon & Schuster, 2026), debuted at #2 on the Toronto Star Bestseller List and #4 on The Globe and Mail Bestseller List.
Born in Toronto and raised in the Northern Ontario mining town of Kirkland Lake, Lori's early life is chronicled in Dreamer’s Daughter. After moving to Canada’s West Coast, she earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.
Her writing has been recognized with the CBC Writing Prize, a Special Merit Award from the Province of British Columbia, and a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.
After university, Lori moved to Paris, where she founded a successful language company and later established Translators without Borders, which grew to become the world's largest translation charity. As a speaker, she has addressed audiences on five continents, including the United Nations in Addis Ababa, Tufts University in Boston, and La Sorbonne in Paris.
Lori lives in the south of France and is currently at work on a coming-of-older-age novel set between Paris and a small fishing village in Mexico.
Becoming a Writer
My first short story was about a tender young willow tree in Toronto which, buffeted by a storm, bent but did not break. It wasn’t very original. But then again, I was only nine years old.
That same year, my father, Dacker, lost his business to — in his own words — a “rat bastard crooked son-of-a bitch partner”. That was the end of Toronto. My father moved us to a washed-out mining town in northern Canada. When a few years later, things went south again, my father – by then a single parent – took my brother and me as far west as you could go without falling into the ocean.
After the stunted boreal northlands, the views of the wide open ocean made me believe anything was possible — even my dream of becoming a writer. The only problem was that my father was dreaming of me becoming a business woman.
At 17, I started my first company, Lori’s Flowers and Photos. But I still wanted to write. After a couple of years, I sold my business and completed a Masters in Creative Writing. Then I moved to Paris to write the great Canadian novel.
But that’s not what happened. Underwhelmed by the first draft of my novel, written in my garret apartment overlooking Notre Dame, I heard the siren call of business. It made my father happy, and frankly, it was easier than figuring out how to finish my novel. The pages went into a drawer while I set up a translation business in Paris to support myself.
The years passed. The business grew. After a meeting with Medecins sans frontières – Doctors without Borders – I decided to start a volunteer translator organization to help them in their work. Translators without Borders was born, and soon became the world’s largest language charity.
Not long after that, my son, Farrell, was born, in Paris’ 11th arrondissement. I was so busy raising my son as a single mother, building my translation business (Lexcelera) and running Translators without Borders that my dreams of writing were pushed further aside.
When my son moved out to go to university, all of a sudden I wanted to write about family, and especially about my unconventional upbringing with my father. Once I started, I couldn’t stop writing. The result is Dreamer’s Daughter.
Today, I write nearly every day, trying to make up for lost time. I left Paris and now I live in a small village in the south of France. Currently, I am at work on my second book, a novel.
Philanthropy
Lori’s passion for language led her to found Lexcelera, a Paris-based translation company. With a deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, in 1993 Lori went on to found Translators without Borders, recognizing the crucial role that language plays in humanitarian aid efforts.
Today, Translators without Borders has grown to include a network of over 100,000 linguists helping people get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak.
From the earthquake in Turkey and Syria to the war in Ukraine, the organization plays a critical role in ensuring that people affected by crises and disasters have access to vital information and services, regardless of the language they speak.
In recognition of her contributions to the field of translation and humanitarian aid, Lori has been recognized for her outstanding contribution to the language Industry by the ATC in London, as well as receiving an award in Vancouver for dedication to the profession and inspiring translators and interpreters around the world. Lori has been invited to speak about her humanitarian work at conferences and universities around the world.
Awards
CBC Writing Prize
Special Merit Award, Province of BC
Canada Council for the Arts
Best First Page (Muse & Marketplace)
Outstanding Contribution to the Language Industry (ATC)
Dedication to the Profession and Inspiring Translators and Interpreters (STIBC)