What I Do: I write. These days it’s mostly poetry, but I also work as a journalist with a focus on human rights, and as a travel writer exploring underrepresented places with complex histories. I am the author of the first edition of Moon El Salvador and am one of Lonely Planet’s go to experts for writing about Guatemala. I have a background working in communications with the United Nations in Sudan and South Sudan. My favorite kind of work involves getting out into the world, and sharing stories that help readers understand we are all connected, for better or for worse. I am the recipient of a 2023 Nova Scotia Arts grant for individuals, as well the 2025 winner of the Elizabeth Venart prize for emerging writers showing career advancing merit.

Who I Am: I grew up in the unceded Mi’qmaq territory of Nova Scotia, Canada where I spent my summers cold plunging in the Atlantic ocean, eating wild blueberries and daydreaming in a backyard full of monarch butterflies. I also spent a good chunk of my childhood in India, visiting my father’s side of our family. This instilled both a love of travel and an unshakeable sense of global injustice in me. Over the years my exploratory nature has taken me many places but always brings me back to my breath. I am drawn to the mystical and love pranayama, dreamwork, and diving into the subconscious realms.

I am a friend to all cats.

Want to connect? Feel free to reach out at jaimejacques7@gmail.com.