Tansy Gunnar

Who is Tansy Gunnar? She’s my pen name, but she’s also a creative lens — a version of me shaped by experience, resilience, and imagination. My name is Di (short for Rondi), and I’ve lived a life full of sharp turns, hard lessons, and unexpected victories. I’ve survived things that should have broken me, fallen more times than I can count, and learned how to stand back up with a little more clarity each time. Tansy is the part of me that transforms those experiences into art. She carries the empathy, grit, and insight earned from a difficult life and channels them into fiction, essays, and creative work that I hope can help others through whatever they’re facing. I hold degrees and career certificates in English & Creative Writing, Business Administration, General Education, and Resort & Recreation Management — all visible on LinkedIn. But more important than the credentials is the intention behind them. Over a decade of higher education, I chose classes and assignments based on what I needed to survive, support the people I love, build a career, teach what I’ve learned, and create online communities where artists can grow. Along the way, I saved everything — every paper, every analysis, every piece of research. Those archives now fuel the classes, challenges, and creative spaces I build. My work is rooted in lived experience, curiosity, and the belief that art can be a lifeline.