About

I am fascinated by women who explore the Arctic and Antarctic regions. My current book project focuses on women who explore Greenland.

I am the author of “Antarctic Pioneer The Trailblazing Life of Jackie Ronne” published in May 2022 by Dundurn Press. This is the first biography of a female Antarctic explorer. “The Polar Adventures of a Rich American Dame A Life of Louise Arner Boyd” was the first comprehensive biography of a female Arctic explorer and was published by Dundurn Press in 2017.

The audiobooks version of “The Polar Adventures of a Rich American Dame A Life of Louise Arner Boyd” was released in 2021 by Blackstock Publishing. The Spanish language edition of the book was published by Ediciones Casiopea in 2019. I am also the editor of “Gender, Culture and Fisheries” published by the Canadian Circumpolar Institute/University of Alberta in 2009.

I’m a keen believer in lifelong learning and have earned the following:

  • PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies
  • Master’s degree in Geography
  • Bachelor’s degree in English
  • Professional Specialization Certificate in Heritage Conservation Planning

Before becoming a full-time writer, I was a university lecturer in natural resource management and geography specializing in gender and Indigenous issues in the Arctic and consulted for governments and non-profit organizations. I participated in a Last Degree North Pole Expedition which gave me a unique insight into the inner life of my biographical subject. I am proud to be a Fellow of The Explorers Club, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Geographers, a Member of the Society of Woman Geographers, a Member of the American Polar Society, a Member of the Canadian Association of Geographers and an Affiliate Member of the American Geographical Society.

I have a passion for all things polar as well as travel, parks and protected areas, sacred spaces and landscapes, women’s literature, gender issues, social and environmental justice, birds, Indigenous rights, heritage conservation, wilderness, industrial archaeology, genealogy, yoga, dancing and chocolate. Reading and writing remains the mainstays of my life.