Category Archives: Teaching

Learning to Let Go

My husband and I loaded the kids, the dog, and everything else we needed for a couple days on the road into the car late Friday morning. He’d already been into work earlier that morning, into which time I’d tried to force an entire day’s worth of grading, emailing, and student meetings while our threeContinue reading “Learning to Let Go”

Anatomy of a Poem

I have completely abandoned all hope of publishing my fiction and have switched solely to poetry. April Fools! Ha. Ha. You are probably grimacing. I am, too. I don’t really understand this holiday. It’s my sister’s birthday, though, which made for some admittedly amazing pranks growing up. I do want to focus a bit moreContinue reading “Anatomy of a Poem”

Lessons from My Accidental Self-Publishing Journey

Most people enter the realm of self-publishing armed with a specific reason for their journey: they want the freedom to design their book just the way they’ve imagined it, or they don’t want to jump through the hurdles of traditional publishing, or maybe they’ve already faced problems in the traditional route and have switched gears.Continue reading “Lessons from My Accidental Self-Publishing Journey”

Poem: Multiperspectivity

Tiny faces peek out from the ledge of stone walls dusty from disuse, empty doorways and metal edges over places where windows used to fit. Once we belonged here, but we lost the pages; still a plaque grows cold against spring’s gasp, shrouded taut amongst the weeds, until the winds blow limbs apart, reveal lostContinue reading “Poem: Multiperspectivity”

Where do you find inspiration?

It may be no surprise from my videos that nature is my favorite source of inspiration! I try to get outside each day, even if it’s just playing in the yard with my kids, but I find forests, mountains, and bodies of water especially soothing, and, for whatever reason, they get my ideas churning. Ideally,Continue reading “Where do you find inspiration?”

A Lesson in Resilience

I’m working on two writing projects at the moment: one is a novel and one is nonfiction. The novel is a thoughtful sort of love story that is as concerned about the characters’ growth as it is with romance. It explores issues that are important to me, including life as a young cancer survivor. ThereContinue reading “A Lesson in Resilience”

Are you the main character?

As a writer and writing teacher, I was intrigued by this question when I heard it the other day: Are you the main character in your life? What are your thoughts when you hear this question? Do you agree with my gut reaction about control or my later (hopefully slightly insightful) thoughts about growth? AreContinue reading “Are you the main character?”