Wendy Parkins was born in Sydney and grew up on the north coast of New South Wales, in Gumbaynggirr country. After studying at the University of Sydney, she began her academic career in Perth before going on to positions at universities in New Zealand and the UK, where she was Professor of Victorian Literature at the University of Kent. Her memoir, Every Morning, So Far, I'm Alive, was published in 2019. She lives in Ōtepoti/Dunedin.