Meet the Author
Rowan Nash (he/they) is a Montreal-based writer and animal handler whose passion for nature and words has taken root in all parts of his life. Since graduating in environmental and wildlife management, his reverence for animals both domestic and wild has kept him ever-eager to understand every facet of the natural world, from the bare bones of skull identification to the inner thoughts of the four-legged companions who share our homes. This keen interest has only sharpened with time, leading Rowan to pour his passion into various pursuits, such as nature education, wildlife rehabilitation, domestic pet training, and animal adoption efforts.
Rowan sees the world as interconnected, and knows that words are no different. His writing journey began with novels and poetry, but has since branched out to other styles, such as educational, technical, and content writing, as well as editing and narrative design for creative pieces. His passion for teaching has equally followed him to each step of his career, by providing a wide variety of written works, including species-specific wildlife care guides, technical documentation, instructional onboarding manuals, animal nutrition manuals, and even self-designed interactive ecology presentations. At present, he’s working on a comprehensive field guide for the Montreal area, which is planned to cover everything from trees to toads!
To hone his skill, he’s attended more than 1,000 hours of university-level writing courses, various technical and UX courses hosted by experts in the field, and a host of ecology and animal behaviour classes. He’s also been published as winner of a writing contest, was accepted into a post-graduate screenwriting & narrative design program, and regularly uses compassionate communication to help pets be better understood by their human companions. He’s worked alongside and managed teams for non-profits and large-scale companies alike, but regardless of whether his intended audience is human or wild, he always brings his work back down to the base level: Who sees the words? How will it affect them? And how best to translate a vision into reality?
Motivated most where nature, teaching, and empathy converge, Rowan believes that every chance to learn is a chance to grow. Currently, he’s working on his next novel, while helping several LGBT and neurodivergent authors to do the same. Whenever he’s not writing, he can be found hiking and animal tracking out in the wilderness, studying a new language, or tacking another title onto his CKC-certified circus act of a cat.
Experience, Education & Achievements
See LinkedIn for further details. -
ANIMAL TRAINING & HANDLING EXPERIENCE: 15+ years
— Asst. Veterinary Technician & Receptionist - Timberlea Veterinary Clinic & Liesse Animal Clinic: 5 years
— Pet Care Specialist (Nutrition, Grooming, Behaviour, Training) & Asst. Manager - Mondou: 4 years
— Canine Obedience Judge Asst. & Rally-O Ring Steward / In-Class Asst. Trainer & Handler - Blue Ribbon Canine Centre: 6 years
— Asst. Trainer & Handler - Imagine Therapy Dogs: 3 years
— Canine Behaviour Consultant - Self-Employed: 5+ years
— Adoption Coordinator & Animal Handler (non-profit) - Kiko Dog Rescue: 5 Years
— 13th Canadian handler to be awarded Feline ITD title (CKC-recognized)
WILDLIFE & ECOLOGY EXPERIENCE: 15+ years
— Wildlife Care Specialist / Rehabilitator - Urban Animal Advocates Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre: 1 year
— Nature Educator & Guide - Arundel Nature & Science Center: 1 year
— Collection Curator’s Assistant - Redpath Museum: 1 year
— Taxidermist’s Assistant - Independent Tanner: 2 years
— Wildlife Management Skills (Mammal Trapping, Bird Banding, Electrofishing, Invertebrate Surveys, Radio Telemetry, etc.) - EWM: 3 years
— Environmental Management Skills (Soil Sampling, Limnology, Forestry, Ecocartography, etc.) - EWM: 3 years
— 10 years’ experience writing content for public education: ecology, wildlife cohabitation, sustainability, domestic animal training & handling, etc.
— Developing region-specific field guide for independent publication.
— Member of Bird Protection Quebec, Montreal Field Naturalists & AQFA (Association québécoise des fauconniers & autoursiers).
EDUCATION
— Environmental & Wildlife Management degree
— Various courses hosted by the NCC (Nature Conservancy of Canada)
— First Aid, CPR; Wilderness First Aid (WFR) -
EXPERIENCE: 7 years
— Technical Writer - LGI Healthcare Solutions: 2 years
— Technical Writer - Osio Labs: 1 year
— Technical Content Writer - Mondou: 1 year
— Technical Content Writer - Urban Animal Advocates Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: 1 year
— Technical Content Writer (Canine Education) (non-profit) - Self-Employed: 2 years
— Daily UX Writing ChallengeEDUCATION
— Software Documentation - JPDocu Technical Writing School
— Technical Written Skills - University of Colorado Boulder
— Introduction to Technical Writing - Dr. Katharina Grimm
— Complete Instructional Designer - John Hinchliffe
— Introduction to UX Writing - Dr. Katharina Grimm
— UX Strategy Fundamentals - Joe Natoli
— How to design for neurodiversity: Inclusive content and UX - IxDF (The Interaction Design Foundation)
— Paligo Course Completion - Paligo
— RoboHelp Training Course - Adobe
— 1000+ hours of university writing courses: editing, tone, genre, audience, etc. -
EXPERIENCE: 5 years
— Content Writer & Public Educator - Arundel Nature & Science Center: 1 year
— Content Writer (non-profit) - Foster a Child to Excel in Society: 2 years
— Social Media Content Writer - Timberlea Veterinary Clinic: 1 year
— SEO Content Writer & Editor - ClearEstate: 1 year
— Technical Content Writer - Mondou: 1 year
— Technical Content Writer - Urban Animal Advocates Wildlife Rehabilitation Center: 1 year
— Technical Content Writer (Canine Education) (non-profit) - Self-Employed: 2 yearsEDUCATION
— 1000+ hours of university writing courses: editing, tone, genre, audience, etc. -
EXPERIENCE: 12 years
— Editor & Writing Coach - Self-Employed: 5 years
— Speculative Fiction Author - Self-Employed: 8 yearsEDUCATION
— Creative Writing - Wesleyan University
— Novel & Script Writing - Michigan State University
— 1000+ hours of university writing courses: editing, tone, genre, audience, etc. -
GENERAL SKILLS
— Language: English (Fluent), French (Fluent), Finnish (CEFR-A2), Russian (CEFR-A1).
— Writing: Educational, technical, scientific, content, creative, copywriting, documentation, editing, translation.
— Software: MS Office, word processors, Miro, Figma, Canva, design, retail, veterinary, game design software, ArcView GIS, GitHub, Paligo, RoboHelp.
— General: Public education, research, data analysis, laboratory writing, client service, team management, communication, collaboration, organization, problem-solving. detail-oriented, curiosity, innovation.PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
— 13th Canadian handler to be awarded Feline ITD title (CKC-recognized)
— Published as winner of college-level writing contest.
— Novel personally selected for publication by developmental editor.
— Helping upcoming authors develop their creative voice and stories.
— Developing region-specific field guide for independent publication.