Story is something that has always been a part of my life, as has a concern for the environment. When I was five, I said I wanted to be an “environmentalist” when I grew up. I’m still exploring what it might mean to live lightly on the Earth. I partly attribute my interest in the environment and the values I hold dear to the books I’ve read, particularly the ones I read as a child and a young adult. Stories matter.
I currently live in Scotland, though I spent most of my life in Canada. Moving to Scotland has opened up a number of opportunities for me in relation to story. Scotland still has a strong tradition of oral storytelling and a deep respect for stories, and here I have honed my own storytelling and writing skills. The stories I am drawn to tell and to write about are always somehow concerned with how we treat each other and how we relate to the environment in which we dwell.
Finally, I am also an academic, focussing my research on narratives and on environmental ethics. I finished my PhD in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University in 2008. I currently work at the University of Edinburgh as a teaching and a research fellow. For more on story, the environment, and my academic pursuits see the “Storythinking” page.
