I wrote my first poem at six years old and never doubted that writing was my thing from then on.

After graduating from Rutgers University, I did what most English majors do and worked in a nearly endless variety of occupations from living history interpreter, to bartender, from teacher’s assistant to goat farmer. I’ve also used my degree in the more traditional way as an environmental grant writer, copywriter, editor, journalist and children’s book author. Through all my years, jobs, and volunteering, working with kids has been a passionate constant.

Mentoring teens as they develop their own writing style and sense of self is as rewarding for me as it is for them. It’s an honor to teach them how to trust their instincts, to revise and critique, and write in their own unique voice; skills that will set them apart and bolster their self-confidence in and beyond the classroom.