Sandra Phinney is a Canadian-based professional writer and photographer. She lives on the edge of the Tusket River in Nova Scotia. She and her husband, Barrie MacGregor, built their home in 2002 and powered up with solar. (In case you are wondering, the roof is still standing, their marriage survived, and they are still off-grid.)
Sandra’s had a few former lives including teaching and social work. Then she farmed for 18 years, growing organic vegetables. After losing money for 17 of those 18 years, she sold the farm and started over. For the next 25 years, instead of driving a tractor and growing vegetables, Sandra wielded a camera and harvested stories. She penned four books, contributed to several travel guides and her articles appeared in over 70 publications. She’s also won several writing/photography awards that have kept her humble.
In 2023, Sandra weaned away from penning stories for magazines and newspapers. Now she is focused on writing essays and books. Her 5th nonfiction book, BUSTED! Confessions of an 80-Year-Old Tree Hugger ~ and other true tales in Nova Scotia, was recently published by Pottersfield Press.
To satisfy her craving to teach, Sandra continues to give writing workshops on various topics including the craft of writing creative nonfiction and memoir.
Sandra is a member of The Writers Union of Canada, the Creative Non-fiction Collective, the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick, and the Alexandra Writers Centre. In her spare time she practices Tai Chi and does wilderness canoeing.
