Writer
I have been writing my whole life–or at least it feels like it. I remember being assigned essays in 8th grade and being so afraid to let anyone read them that I hid them in the depths of my drum-bottomed desk. Sometimes I took them out again and handed them to my teacher when no one was looking; sometimes, if we had to “recite” our essays in front of the class, I just made sure I worked hard at extra credit assignments to make up for the lost points. Those days of being too nervous to let other people read my writing are long gone, and now I thrive on sharing my words with others. Some days, it feels like the words are fighting to burst out, and those are the good days.
Educator
I began my professional life as a high school English teacher. I later achieved my masters degree in Comparative Literature from UC Irvine, and I have worked as an English college professor in California’s East Bay area for the past 14 years.