Eleanor was born in 1957 and spent her early years in Bathgate. At the age of 8, she moved with her family to the coast of Fife. She later studied English at the University of St Andrews. Today she still lives in Fife, working part-time with a local legal firm and also as a tutor for the W.E.A. In 2005, she became Artistic Director for StAnza, Scotland’s Poetry Festival.