Born in a small town in central Canada, Russ Jackson earned an honors politics and English degree from the University of Western Ontario, a law degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax, and an MA in English literature from the University of Ottawa.

Jackson spent two years teaching English as a second language in Korea, and then traveled through Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, adding these experiences to those from his journeys by van through the United States and train ventures up and down England.

He is a business analyst and technical writer for the Export Development Corporation in Ottawa, Canada, after a stint as a freelance writer of technical and organizational documents. Jackson is the coauthor of Handbook of Rights and Concerns for Mariners.