I’ve thought about writing this post for awhile because I want to share all of the scholarships I applied for as a Canadian international PhD student at the University of Edinburgh. My goal with this post is to illuminate funding opportunities, and to help other Canadian researchers and potential doctoral students alleviate the financial stress […]
In one single day, my brain would tell me that a) I couldn’t spare fifteen minutes to shower and b) I was further ahead than I thought. Then, hours later, my brain would convince me that they only way I could edit my novel was using a series of binders, and in fact I needed […]
Over the past few years, the University of Edinburgh has been spending like drunken pirates on new buildings, land acquisitions, and facilities like the Edinburgh Future’s Institute and the refurbishment of Teviot Row House. The EFI is a billion-pound investment, and Teviot is under-going construction to increase accessibility and become a nicer wedding venue. But […]
There is a question I get all the time. Every year, for the past four years, someone has asked me some version of this mystifying question. “But what will you do when you finish your PhD?” “So obviously you’re going to teach at the university when you finish?” “Tell me, have you got a plan […]
A few weeks ago marked the official “beginning of the end” of my PhD as I formally filed my NITS, better known as the Notice of Intention to Submit. If I were to describe the feeling of clicking on that “submit” button, it felt like pulling the pin from a (metaphorical) grenade, but then still […]
It’s a packed house on a drizzly Monday night at the Monkey Barrel– an infamous comedy cavern in Edinburgh–where Daniel Sloss, the semi-famous viral Scottish comic known for his rants on sexual assault, is trying out his new material. The comedy shop is an underground labyrinth of stifling hot rooms located just above the seedy […]
A few weeks ago, I lead a workshop for doctoral students across Scotland and whew – it’s so hard to do things when I’m feeling scared. Even though I’ve taught undergrads and master’s students before — and this was only a one day workshop — the evening before still had me feeling jittery. I had […]
It’s that post-election hangover. Canada hung on to its democracy under a barrage of American economic threats, invasion rhetoric, misinformation campaigns, and head-spinning electoral politics. It seemed like five minutes ago that Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government was waning and every “bro dude” I know was gleefully counting down to Pierre Poilievre’s imminent victory. Then suddenly […]
When I moved from Calgary, Alberta to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2017 for my master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh, I was pretty anxious. Even though I had already been the to UK many times, and had friends here to help me out, moving overseas is difficult. The process of relocating is different for everyone […]
Did Deadpool leak my novel? Yes and no. Frustrated with studios stalling on his project, Canadian Ryan Reynolds admitted leaking test footage to see if audiences would respond to his work. Now, he was a movie star before this happened, and clearly I am not. But leaking my novel feels exhilarating even if no one […]
I’m now at the point of the writer’s journey where I look back at what I’ve made, and think: it’s time to get serious. But querying agents is such a bizarre feeling. It is especially weird because I have spent my career in advertising and PR, so I have won and lost many pitches over […]
