Introductions

Hello.

I’m Michelle.

Nice to meet you.

I’m a historian. I knit. I adore my dog. I love words and how they paint pictures in our heads. I enjoy kitchen experiments but hate making a meal. At the moment my favourite season is summer.

Entrelac-style baby blanket made for a friend.

A little more about me: I’ve recently returned to the Maritimes after receiving my PhD in history. I last lived here in 2009. I spent three years in Peterborough, ON, and ten years in Saskatoon, SK, and even though I experienced wonderful people and places, I missed Cape Breton every day. As my dissertation neared completion, I knew I it was time to come back home. Incidentally, I don’t recommend defending your dissertation, teaching a university history course, and moving yourself, your dog, and most of your possessions across the country all in the same week.

Now Cora (my dog) and I are settled in the place I love best, where I’m attempting to make a living that will keep her in the style to which she’s become accustomed. ;) I’ve been taking on editing contracts while working on my own academic projects, and am still searching for a more permanent position. Hopefully that will come about soon.

My dog, Cora.

In the meantime, it’s been great to catch up with friends and with family, to see what has changed and what has remained the same, and even to experience the 150cm snowfall we received in February. East, West, home is best.

My mother, contemplating the ridiculous amount of snow left to shovel.

Forthcoming in this space will be posts about my academic projects, my ongoing genealogical work, and what it’s like to be a precarious academic, as well as more light-hearted posts about what I’m reading, fun research finds, and other historical ventures.

Stay tuned.