Biography
I received my MFA in Creative Writing from Anitoch University in Los Angeles, California where I had the good fortune to study with several talented mentors including Francesca Lia Block, Kerry Madden Lunsford, and Gayle Brandeis. My work has been published in Lunch Ticket, Hags on Fire, and on Kelly Corrigan Wonders podcast. I am currently working on final revisions on my first full manuscript and hope to get it out on submission this semester. In 2018, I was named Scottsdale Community College Outstanding Adjunct after completing my first year of teaching and in 2022, I became Residential English Faculty and Creative Writing Lead at SCC. I enjoy meeting new students and helping them achieve their writing goals, and I love planning SCC's Creative Writing events like our on-campus Sonder open mics and our Vortex Literary and Art Journal and Celebration in the spring to help elevate and honor our students' unique voices. My personal areas of interest include writing as a form of social justice and exploring the important role inclusion and diversity play in children's literature. I am an active member of the Arizona chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI AZ) and a regular volunteer for ASU's Desert Nights Rising Stars Writers Conference. When I'm not grading papers or having conversations with fictional characters, I enjoy reading, practicing yoga, exploring Arizona, and hanging out with my husband and our adult daughter.