Andre Alexis was born in Trinidad in the fifties and lived there until he was four years old when his family migrated to Canada.  He grew up in Ottawa as well as in the south-western Ontario town of Petrolia. In 1993, he moved to live in Parkdale in downtown Toronto. 

Alexis recounts how, in his mid-twenties and with just one published short story to his credit, he was working in an Ottawa bookstore when by chance he met the Canadian literary icon, Norman Levine.  Although their actual encounter was extremely brief, Alexis was touched by Levine’s obvious humanity.  He has said that as a result of this meeting he was encouraged to continue on his chosen path as a writer.