Russell Wangersky

Russell Wangersky was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but soon moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where his father was a professor of oceanography at Dalhousie University and his mother, a marine biologist, ran a tight ship.

His youth was spent exploring Halifax, save for that year in Barcelona when he was 10.

Growing up, Russell had a predilection for dangerous activity and eventually, for explosions and being where he oughtn't be He started playing rugby at 16 -- gave it up two broken noses, three cracked ribs and six concussions later. By then he was 32.

He attended Acadia University, choosing philosophy over the family tradition of science, and edited the university's literary magazine, Alpha. He also signed up, during those university years, to be a volunteer firefighter in Wolfville, NS. He left the department shortly after he completed his BA Honours in 1984, when he and his then-wife, Barbara Pratt, moved to Toronto. There, Russell worked as a researcher in the Queen's Park bureau of Southam News. 

In 1986, the couple moved to St. John's, Newfoundland. Russell spent five years there as a reporter at the Sunday Express  and five years at CBC Television. He also became a father to two boys before joining The Telegram  in 1997.

He  returned to firefighting as deputy chief when a volunteer department was established in the St. Philips - Portugal Cove area where he lived.

In 2002, Russell  became The Telegram's editor. Shortly afterward, shaken by the horror and loss he'd encountered in firefighting, he left that part of his life behind.

At about the same time, his writing began to draw attention and acclaim in the literary world. Today, Russell lives in St. John's, and divides his days between the newspaper and his other writing.