Patricia Ann Crain comes from a lineage of printers, signing up for an apprenticeship as a Compositor and inadvertently following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather. During her apprenticeship she worked on a range of dedicated photo-typesetters, gaining experience that was to prove invaluable later. Receiving a trade certificate for Hand Composing, with Distinction, she also completed, and later taught, the National Diploma in Printing Management.
She has worked as composing room foreman and Works Manager of a jobbing printer in Johannesburg. As Technical Director of the Printing Industries Federation of South Africa (PIFSA), she was involved in the creation of training programmes for skills development in the industry. She has provided specialised typesetting and pre-press production services for the publishing industry for over 20 years.
She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Development Administration (BAdmin) through Unisa, majoring in Industrial Psychology and Development Administration, and recently completed a Masters in Creative Writing through Rhodes. Patricia brings this unique blend of academic and technical qualifications, combined with creative flair, to every project she is involved with.