Personal info: Where did you get your undergraduate degree? What was your major? Where did you get your Masters and/or PhD and what was it in? Why did you choose DU?
My BA is from Stony Brook University (a State University of New York). At Stony Brook, I double-majored in English and Humanities. My Masters degree is in creative writing (fiction) from Queens College (a City University of New York), and Ive done my doctoral work at the University of Denver in creative writing (fiction). I chose to study at DU because of the fine reputation of the PhD program in creative writing. I chose to teach writing at DU because I enjoy working with DU students and wanted to be part of a new, innovative, and spirited writing program

Describe what your writing process is like:
My writing process is a messy one. I usually start with a basic ideaa character and simple storyline when writing fiction, or a rather uncomplicated argument in my academic work. Then, I type, brainstorming as I go, allowing myself the freedom of disorganization (knowing that Ill clean it up later). This means that it usually takes me a LONG time to get down the first draft. But, for me, its through the process of drafting that I figure out exactly what it is that I want to say.

What do you enjoy most about writing?
One of my favorite things about writing is that it allows me the luxury of time. I am alone with the words and ideas, and its up to me to figure out how to put them all together. Though it is sometimes a struggle, I appreciate the time spent thinking and working through the processes of writingtesting ideas, tweaking sentences, finding the best words to express an idea, a moment, a perspective, a character.

Briefly, how would you describe your teaching philosophy?
I consider effective learning to be learning that extends beyond the classroom. By this I mean that come quarter-end, it is my sincere hope that my students leave with a better sense of the worlds around them; that this sense is concrete rather than abstract; and that it informs not only their academic lives, but their civic and political lives as well. In short, as an instructor, I try to knock down the classroom walls and encourage students to confront the communities that they are a part of and those that surround them.

What drew you to become a writing teacher?
It was as an undergraduate that I truly began to understand the impact that words have in our world. On some level, I became a teacher to relive this discovery over and over through my students. In each of my classes, I hope to teach my students the power that they possess as writers and consider it my duty to help them learn to wield that power responsibly.

What do you enjoy most about teaching writing?
I most enjoy watching my students as they gain confidence in their ideas and in their ability to express those ideas through writing, while growing and getting to know themselves better in the process.

What are your hobbies and outside interests, or guilty pleasures?
I am a new parent and love spending time with my daughter. Having a little baby, I have come to love and appreciate a good afternoon nap. Im also a self-confessed foodie who gets more joy out of shopping at a health food market than many women get at the shoe store!

Name an unusual or little-known fact about yourself.
I love zombie movies.

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