About me..

I came to Mexico in 2003 to teach English at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, a prestigious private institution. What was to be a two-year stint turned into a way of life.
I began documenting Mexico as a hobby in Wikipedia, both to improve my Spanish and to get to know the country more than the average tourist. Since then, my work has spawned collaborations with people and organizations all over Mexico, allowing me to write about a wide range of Mexican cultural topics. Much of my with is in collaboration with my photographer-husband, Alejandro Linares Garcia, and together we have experienced everything from wine at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico with ambassadors to handmade tortillas made in an adobe hut by a woman who spoke only her local indigenous language. Both were delicious, by the way.
My writing is motivated by the fact that there is so much still unknown about Mexico in the English-speaking world. We are often misled into thinking we know Mexico because images from here show up in US movies and television. But even after more than 17 years in the country, Mexico continues to surprise and charm.
I was born in 1964 in Bayshore, NY. I have BA in linguistics and Spanish and a MA in TESOL, with over 25 years teaching advanced ESL and academic writing both in the United States and Mexico. I currently live in Mexico City, with the privilege to be able to devote myself to writing nearly full-time.
And I will remain in the country as long as Mexico lets me!

Articles about me and my work

In January 2023, the International Museum of Folk Art opened an exhibition dedicated to cartoneria. Folk art expert Marta Turok and I were invited to as experts in the setting up of the show and wrote most of the text associated with it.

Here are some articles related to that exhibition…

Paper, glue, cardboard: “La Cartonería Mexicana” - Pasatiempo Santa Fe New Mexican

April 2021 Virtual Book Tour - Leigh Ann Thelmadatter

Like so many foreigners, Leigh Ann Thelmadatter came to Mexico to spend a couple of years and never left. Teaching English paid the bills and supported an obsession with traveling throughout Mexico to learn about its culture, particularly its folk art. Her “apprenticeship” came in the form of writing Wikipedia articles, then a blog called Creative Hands of Mexico, which lasted for 5 years (until the pandemic).

Amor por México, sin límites ni fronteras

Forjar vida y destino, es algo que se cumple a lo largo del camino, una visión que va más allá de la razón, donde converge nuestro mayor deseo, luchando por llegar a ello. Dejar todo atrás y seguir lo que dicta tu corazón para iniciar un nuevo camino, en ese preciso momento, nos damos cuenta de que, el amor por lo que tanto deseamos, no tiene límites ni fronteras.

Forging life and destiny is something that is fulfilled along the way, a vision that goes beyond reason, where our greatest desire converges, struggling to get there. Leave everything behind and follow what your heart dictates to start a new path, at that precise moment, we realize that the love for what we want so much has no limits or borders.