About Me

'English' is an Anglicization of the surname Inglis. My ancestors came early to North America, mostly from Scotland in the great emptying of villages there. I was born and raised in London, Ontario, the southwest of the province and traditionally a land of long, snowy winters followed by blazing humidity and breathtakingly beautiful autumns. Our suburb abutted corn fields and horse pastures and a winding ravine made by the Thames / Askunessippi (‘many antlered’) river. These wilder places schooled me and provided sanctuary from actual classrooms.

Writing is my way of listening. I'm drawn to the relationship between people and place, how places shape and guide us. My writing seems to emerge from reckoning with where I am in time and space, and a search for deep kinship with life, and authenticity in how we live it.

Over the years I've been inspired by and involved with a number of groups committed to restorative art and teaching, including Deena Metzger's literature of restoration and 19 Ways to the Fifth World, the Dark Mountain Project, and the Persephone Project.

A long-time writing teacher, mentor and editor, I'm an Assistant Professor in the Writing & Rhetoric Program at University of Toronto. I also teach creative writing courses at Dalhousie in Nova Scotia, and offer private editing and workshops. A fuller description of my professional career can be found here.

In 2021 my husband and I moved to an old farm in East Hants county, Nova Scotia, which is traditional Mi’kma’ki territory and borders the great Shubenacadie River. You can read my reflections on how this place is teaching me here on this site.