Biography
Dani Jansen is an English and drama teacher who lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. She performed (as a teacher) in her school’s glee show for eight years. Yes, there is probably video evidence of this. No, she will not point you in the direction of where to find it. Dani helped found her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance and has only occasionally subjected her students to the Bard. Her writing has appeared in This Magazine, Lunch Ticket, The A3 Review, and Fiction Southeast. She has also contributed to Maman Loup’s Den. Her debut novel, The Year Shakespeare Ruined My Life, came out September 22, 2020.
Photo credit: Julian Stamboulieh
Need a picture of the author? Here you go!
A guide to pronouncing “Dani.”
If you think Dani should be pronounced “Danny,” you’re not the only one! A lifetime of correcting teachers and now my own students has confirmed that this would indeed be the most logical pronunciation. But fear not! There are some easy tricks to learning how to say it correctly.
In high school, a friend’s older brother pointed out that my name sounded like “Da knee,” and proceeded to call me “Da elbow” as an “affectionate” nickname..
2. Living in and working in Quebec, it is often easiest to explain that my name is pronounced like the French name “Denis.” This is definitely NOT the same as “Dennis” in English, so only use this tip if you are familiar with the French language.