MARTA PRAVICA TRKLJA was born in the village of Bijelac, town of Trebinje, Herzegovina in the former country of Yugoslavia. She immigrated to Canada in the mid-1960s, taught business English at Sheridan College, and worked as a career advisor at York University. Trklja earned a master's degree in English literature. She lives with her husband in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; they have one married son and three grandchildren.