WHO I AM and WHY I DO WHAT I DO
I know how enormously powerful books are. I’ve relied on them all my life, for excitement, inspiration, escape, information, of course, and relief. The fact that words on a page can provide all of that is pretty miraculous.
When I walk into a bookstore, my heart starts pounding. Sounds ridiculous, but suddenly, I’m surrounded by a universe of opinions, relationships, etc.
In general: We don’t do anything alone. I’ve tried and it stinks. And it doesn’t last anyway because you always end up needing others again.
High quality is never achieved in a vacuum.
Empathy is critical to living, relating, and truly communicating.
About helping people write about others: The best way to help people grow is to provide help without being judgmental and shaming them for being where they are.
’m meant to work with words. I’m meant to share information. I’m meant to encourage others achieve their own version of greatness and feel valuable and valued.
People want to be seen and their actions valued. They want to learn. They’ll welcome constructive input about their work if it means making it better. They want to be understood. They want to create things that don’t suck.
Why Me
When I work with writers, my goal isn’t just to help them create high quality work that readers will value. It’s to be a companion as they navigate their own creative and writing process.
I
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- The Editorial Freelancers Association
- Freelancers Union
- American Copy Editors Society
EDUCATION
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA M.L.A. with Distinction. 1995. Interdisciplinary study of English literature, comparative literature, history, art history, film, and folklore. Concentrations: Women’s Studies and African-American Studies
Haverford College, Haverford, PA B.A. 1991. Field: English. Concentration: Creative Writing. Focus on women’s writing and African-American writing Thesis Advisor: Elizabeth Alexander, Ph.D.
Haverford senior conference readers and examiners:
Elaine Tuttle Hansen, Ph.D., Executive Director, The Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University; former president, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine
Elizabeth Alexander, Ph.D., Thomas E. Donnelley Professor of African American Studies and American Studies; former chair, African American Studies Department, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Inaugural poet, inauguration of President Barack Obama, 2009
GRADUATE SENIOR THESIS
“A Cyborg’s Narrative: Postmodern Concepts of Identity and the Mixed-Heritage African-American Woman,” 1995 Thesis Advisor: Farah Griffin, Ph.D., William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African-American Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY
HONORS & AWARDS
University of Pennsylvania Distinction for Master of Liberal Arts senior thesis; 3.9 GPA
Haverford College For public reading of a selection from creative writing thesis, received award for “Greatest achievement in voice and articulation of the English language among the senior class.”
PUBLICATION
“Black Female Identity in Nineteenth Century American Slavery: Dialogism and Resistance” Journal of Graduate Liberal Arts Studies, 1996 Paper written in “History of Black Women in America” course, 1992, University of Pennsylvania. Professor: Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Ph.D., Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African American Studies, Chair of African and African American Studies Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
CLASSROOM TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Messiah College, Grantham, PA, Temple University campus in Philadelphia, PA, 1998 Teaching Assistant, “Race, Ethnic Identity, and the Bible”
BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME.
It’s really about you.
“Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.”
― Flannery O’Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose