Writing has been my passion since puberty when I discovered that my creative expression came through best with words. I pursued prose since and have been a professional writer and writing instructor for decades, receiving my MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College in 2005. I published two books with independent presses, a novella and poetry chapbook, as well as short stories, poems, essays, book reviews, listicles and a few pieces of “real” journalism. I have taught at colleges, writers’ conferences, high schools, camps and more. I have directed writers’ programs, curated readings and coached writers. Basically, if you can make a career out of writing, I’ve tried it all. 

Yet concerns about my career surfaced in 2020 at the peak of my success. I was making good money and just published my second book, but I felt dissatisfied with my work. I was disenchanted by the publishing world, which required 20 rejections for every publication. The industry that I had spent decades studying and serving, shapeshifted in my perception from a benign conglomerate of book lovers to a devilish social hierarchy. Suddenly, all I could see was a vicious cycle of underpaid published writers teaching novice writers struggling to get noticed by gatekeepers who could publish them in journals that only other writers read. Teaching writing craft entailed revealing insider tools and tricks that comprised "good" writing, relying heavily on a paradigm of critique.

 

I believe that our writing shines when it is authentic to our own voice, not a voice that has been finely edited to meet industry standards. I believe in validating writers, not conforming them to specific rules. In order to do this, we must return to our bodies. Tapping into our sensory experiences and locating our center of inner stillness, allows us to supersede the analytical mind and become a clear medium for creativity free from our inner critic and the epidemic of "writer's block."

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The world needs to hear your words. Let me support you.