Tonya Lailey spent her childhood on a farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake. She started a winery there in 2000 with her family and winemaker Derek Barnett. Certified as a sommelier, she worked in the wine trade until 2020. In 2022, she received an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia. She currently lives in Calgary with her two daughters and writes poetry, essays and children’s fiction. This is her first book of poetry.