my background...

...in English/Creative Writing:

Seattle University accepted me into their undergraduate English/Creative Writing program in 2001; professors there introduced me to form, structure, originality, grace, and the importance of reading. My poetry was published in Fragments, the university's literary arts magazine, for which I took an active role as Literary Editor from 2003-2005. I also participated in Children's Literacy Project. I was accepted into Lambda Iota Tau, or LIT, the national Literary Honors Society in 2004. I graduated Cum Laude in June 2005 with minors in German and Theatre. I'm grateful for a background that includes courses in fiction, poetry, British literature, German literature, children's literature, expressive writing and grammar.

After graduation, I moved with my husband to Eagle River, Alaska, and worked as a substitute teacher for the Anchorage School District. While keeping up my habit of writing and reading every day, I taught K-6, high school level German and English, as well as classes for the autistic. In the winter of 2005, I began taking on students for reading/writing lessons as well as violin instruction.

In 2007, I started working on my MFA in Writing (low-residency) at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, while continuing to submit my work to various magazines and journals. Looking back, it's satisfying to see the writing groups I've started or been a part of in Anchorage, Vancouver, and Atlanta. I graduated from Pacific University in June, 2009, and began working as an adjunct Lecturer of English at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia.

I moved to Colorado Springs shortly after Christmas, 2009, and currently teach English and Creative Writing courses at Pike’s Peak Community College. I’m the coordinator of a local reading series (www.cswritersreading.blogspot.com) and was recently awarded Adjunct of the Year.

...in Violin:

I began playing the violin when I was ten. For the first year, I practiced only in the Ferndale School District's public program, but I moved on to private lessons with Emily Bailey in Lynden, Washington, when I was eleven; I continued to study with Emily until I was eighteen. (I remained in the public school's orchestra program through high school, occasionally taking part in summer programs and the high school drama department's pit orchestra as well.) Emily taught according to the philosophy of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, a Japanese teacher who has influenced most strings instructors today. His main idea was Talent Education; he believed that any child could learn to play the violin well and ultimately grow into a loving person so long as they practiced in a caring and consistent atmosphere. I encourage parents (as well as students) to read any of his literary works.

When I was fourteen, I began following my violin teachers to elementary schools after my daily classes ended. As a teacher's assistant, I worked with fifth, sixth and seventh graders for about an hour each session. My instructors encouraged me to start offering 1/2 hour after-school lessons with students who needed extra study, which I did. I continued playing violin through college, participating in the university's orchestra program and working as a solo violinist for the Chapel of St. Ignatius from 2001-2005.

In June 2006, I audited a course for Teacher Trainees offered by the Suzuki Association of Southcentral Alaska. This has benefited both my personal playing techniques as well as my teaching skills. Over the summer, I began teaching private violin lessons to students of varying grade levels in Eagle River, Alaska. I’ve had success since then working with beginning violin students, typically between grades three and eight.

...in General:

I've moved around the country quite a bit, as my husband, Tom, is an army infantry officer. Originally from the Seattle area, my interests are focused mainly on the arts, but I also spend a good amount of time working with animals. (I worked as a veterinary technician while earning my MFA.) We have a small crew of rescue animals: Lunchbox, a tabby from Alaska; Suvi, a finicky Siamese mix; and Flynn, a German Shepherd we adopted in northern Georgia.

My first chapbook of poems was recently published (April 2010) by Lost Horse Press and is titled Me and Coyote.