Originally from Sudbury, Suffolk, Joel Willans has lived in London, Vancouver, and the Andean village of Andahuaylas in Peru. He now lives in the Finnish capital, Helsinki.

Creative Director of the digital marketing agency Ink Tank Media, his prize-winning stories have been broadcast on BBC radio and published in dozens of magazines and anthologies worldwide. His debut short story collection, SPELLBOUND: Stories of Women's Magic over Men, was published by Route in 2013. His best-selling second book, 101 Very Finnish Problems: A Foreigner's Guide to Surviving in Finland was published by Gummerus in 2017. The sequel More Very Finnish Problems: An even more essential guide to surviving Finland was published in 2018.