I knew that I wanted to be a writer before I had grown out of Velcro shoes.
By the time I made it out of my small town in southern Ontario, I had racked up a body count of around six abandoned novel drafts. I grew up on the outskirts of Zurich, Ontario, with Lake Huron visible from my bedroom window, one of four kids and always looking to prove myself. When I wasn’t working my way through my latest stab at the great Canadian novel, my childhood was spent climbing trees, reading under my desk at school, and sharpening my nails on the arms of various bullies.
As a bisexual misfit, I knew I couldn’t stay in Huron County forever, so I made the terrifying move to the big city to attend the University of Toronto, where I earned a BA in English and Drama.
Before discovering journalism, my work history had ranged from slicing meat in a deli to teaching children how to make sun catchers out of smashed glass. Then, in 2017, I started working on the breaking news desk at the Toronto Star as a Radio Room intern. I spent two years reporting there while also attending grad school. I received my MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph in 2019.
My short fiction has appeared in EVENT, Third Wednesday, Frond Literary, and Prairie Fire, among others. From 2019 to early 2024, I worked as a writer at CTVNews.ca. In 2022 and 2024, I taught a YA Creative Writing course through University of Guelph’s OpenEd program.
THE QUEEN OF JUNK ISLAND, which came out in May 2022, is my first novel.
In my spare time, I paint, sing, knit, crochet and occasionally make videos about those things.
Photo Credit: Claire Floody
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS
Prairie Fire Fiction Contest - 2020 - First Prize for “Conservation of Matter”
2020 Peter Hinchcliffe Short Fiction Award - longlisted
John H. McDonald Awards for Excellence in Student Journalism - 2016 - Winner in the Diversity section for “Pulling Pigtails”
Hart House Playwriting Competition - 2016 - Third Place for Six Pieces