Heidi Givens-O'Nuanain was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.  She came to live in Northern Ireland in 2000 by way of San Antonio, Texas.  She is the mother of three adult sons, grandmother to two grandsons and one granddaughter;  and a widow.  She now resides in Wexford, County Wexford in the Irish Republic.  She has a degree in Politics and a second degree in English Literature.  In 2008, she abandoned her PhD in Post  Colonial Women's Literature following the death of her husband.  Her primary interests are in women's life writings, poetry and photography.  Her writings focus primarily on the themes of bereavement, transition, liminality and gender.