About
I'm a Canadian (she/her) who lives in Ontario, Canada with my partner Steve, two wobbly cats named Charlotte and Rubin, and a once-wayward rabbit named George.
I was born and raised in Mississauga and I've always lived in the area, only moving between the neighbouring communities of Mississauga, Etobicoke, and Toronto at various times in my life. I connect strongly with the seasons and landscapes of Southern Ontario and the plants and animals that also call this area home. I especially love being near Lake Ontario and the rivers and creeks that define its watershed.
My two favourite things have always been animals and stories.
These days, I'm particularly interested in how animals think, what they feel, and how we human animals do or don't acknowledge their inner lives. This includes but is not limited to:
- How we talk about animals and represent them in art
- How animals use language and shape their own world in creative ways
- What (we think) we know about animal cognition, senses, perception, and emotion
- Animal rights, welfare, and related policies; especially wildlife welfare, which is an area I think is often overlooked
About My Writing
"All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world." ~ E.B. White
Charlotte's Web was my favourite book as a kid, but it was only when I was much older that I stumbled upon the above quote by the author. Those words struck me deeply, articulating something I only then realized had been driving my own writing for a long time. For like Elwyn, I too love the world—the pigs and spiders and geese and rats, the cold brooks and the morning dew, and also all the people who will stand up and help anyone who needs helping.
My short stage plays have been performed in Halifax, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, New York, Aberdeen (South Dakota, not Scotland) and Leeds, England. My Remembrance Day themed script "Failing Hands" was one of three winners of Storybook Theatre's 2016 National TYA Playwriting Competition, and I've received playwriting grants from the Ontario, Toronto, and Mississauga arts councils.
I've written two short wildlife-themed comics for anthologies published by TOComix Press - "The Goosefighter" for Toronto Comics Vol. 5: Osgoode As Gold and "The Night Shift" for The City We Chose. I also have two poems for children in the anthology Dragons of the Prime: Poems About Dinosaurs published by Emma Press (UK).
About My Education
- In Progress: Graduate Certificate in Animal Welfare, Ethics, and Law, University of Edinburgh, expected completion April 2027
- Editorial Skills Certificate, George Brown Polytechnic Continuing Education, 2026
- Humane Education Practitioner Certificate, Institute for Human-Animal Connection, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, 2024
- Multimedia Journalism Certificate, University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, 2024
- Honours Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts Cultural Studies, York University in Toronto, 2001