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Poet & Arts Leader
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I am thrilled that my full-length collection of poems, Trace, won the Many Voices Project competition and was published by New Rivers Press in October 2019. Trace was named one of the Best Indie Books of 2020 and received a prestigious Kirkus starred review. My long poem, "Leaving a Trace" won the the 2018 Iron Horse Trifecta and is available as a lovely, free e-single.
My poems, essays, and reviews have been published in dozens of print and online literary journals, and I've been the featured reader at over 30 literary events. My collection of poems, Hurry, Love, was published in standard & fine arts editions (sold out). I have received many awards for my work, including a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Maryland State Arts Council, five fellowships and travel grants from the McKnight and Jerome Foundations, and two grants from the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County. I have an MFA in Poetry and I have been a creative resident at Centrum, New York Mills, the Anderson Center, and the Blacklock Nature Sanctuary. As a community arts leader, I curate Literary Art Tours in local DC galleries (a Washington Post "Editor’s Pick"), and I manage Cross-Pollinate—a monthly artist workshop that develops new work based on the Liz Lerman's Critical Response Process. I am proud to have volunteered with the following arts organizations as a juror, board member, editor, educator, and administrator: Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Atlas Corps, Carlyle Brown & Company, DC Books to Prisons, Headwaters Music, Quarterly West, Resources and Counseling for the Arts, Utah Arts Council, and Writers @ Work. |
Mentor & Coach
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My path to building my own teaching and coaching business seems inevitable, looking back now. After I got my MFA in poetry, I knew I didn’t want a career in academia. But I did want to teach, build the literary community, and help people. I chose my “day jobs” carefully—pursuing mission-driven work in nonprofit organizations that supported my values. I enjoyed a successful career in nonprofit fundraising that made room for my creative pursuits. With my “real time” I built the life of a creative entrepreneur—teaching, mentoring people one-on-one, developing arts programming, and curating local readings and literary art tours. In 2009, I married my dream guy and became a stepmom--one of the most challenging gigs I've ever had. I'm determined to support other stepmoms through my coaching practice.
I am an enthusiastic teacher and I love working with students. For 30 years, I have taught writing workshops for adults and young people in prisons and juvenile detention centers, university classrooms and elementary schools, literary writing centers, and youth, art, and health organizations. I currently teach workshops at The Writer's Center as well as in private homes in the DC area. I have received awards for Excellence in Teaching from The Loft Literary Center, the University of Utah, and the Jerome Foundation. I have 12 years of experience as a personal coach, including 4 years of coaching part-time in a very rigorous international leadership program. I have substantial experience coaching writers and artists at all levels with their creative projects and their roadblocks (procrastination, time management, self-doubt, etc.). I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and have received PCC accreditation with the International Coaching Federation. I am proud to have been a member of an elite team with the ICF-DC Chapter offering pro bono executive coaching to the staff at Friendship Place. |
