My writing journey has been shaped by the flow of ideas, relationships, events, landscapes, cultural winds, and lived experience.

By being born a Boomer, into a privileged Western culture, to a refugee-immigrant mother and a first-generation-Canadian father. And by silencing my socially unwelcome mother tongue and learning English in school.

By living much of my adult life under prairie skies. And now, on the west coast with my husband, on the traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples, across the waters from Vancouver where I was born and raised.

By feeling terrified to write, compelled to write, thrilled to write, grateful to write. By romancing the written word for as long as I can remember.

By earning a bachelor of education degree and a masters in communications studies.

By writing the gamut -- newspaper stories, newsletters, speeches, ad copy, scholarly articles, creative non-fiction, a writing advice column, a writing workbook, poetry, web copy, and an unpublished novel, among others.

By standing on the shoulders of writers and writing teachers who have welcomed me into their pages. By sitting at the feet of thought leaders and practitioners of various wisdom traditions.

By coaching, mentoring, and guiding other writers. By helping graduate students launch their professional voices. And by facilitating writing workshops.

By attuning to the creative current with my whole being, and following wherever it leads.