Peter King was born in Scotland and grew up in Switzerland and England before coming to Canada to study civil engineering at McGill University. He obtained his MBA at Western University and his doctorate from the University of Phoenix at age seventy. He spent his career as a naval officer, a public servant, a consultant to First Nations, and as a professor at the University of Hearst. For fifteen years he was a professor at the Beijing University of Technology. He has competed and coached in fencing, rowing, and cross-country skiing. He was also an international umpire refereeing at the world rowing championships. He has been recognized by federal, provincial, and municipal governments in Canada and by the City of Beijing in China. He has published two mystery novels. a history of rowing, several academic papers. Life's but a Poem is his first poetry collection.