• PhD in English and Literary Arts, University of Denver
• MFA in creative writing, Antioch University Los Angeles
• BA in English, minor in American Studies, University of Maryland

I am interested in helping to guide mentees’ attention toward the creation of a robust and sustainable writing life during and beyond the MFA. We will have conversations about what that looks like for you specifically, your commitment and vision for your thesis work, and discuss flexible approaches to revision. I am an expert in big picture thinking for books, ordering that makes sense for the individual project, and wrestling with structure and hybridity. In my feedback, I lead with compassionate and incisive inquiry. I work best with writers who are ready to investigate intensively, read widely, and take learning how to write books seriously. I am less interested in being a line editor, though I do provide detailed edits as needed. Primarily, however, I ask questions aimed at helping clarify a writer’s intention at line, stanza, section, scene, or chapter levels and align that with what appears in the work. At the MFA level, we start with thesis conception and construction, yes, but I believe in using this time as training for future work as well. Even in a first semester, we can be intentional with our modes of discovery in craft and content, and fill our creative toolbox with positive strategies. 

Practically, I schedule project period due dates so that I can give feedback quickly. Accordingly, I expect on-time packets and will communicate if I can’t return it within a few days. If a packet is very late, I cannot guarantee a quick turnaround due to the demands of my schedule. However, I can sometimes be available by phone to talk through things. I may occasionally provide downloadable voice notes (20-25 minutes) instead of written feedback (or voice to text, since it requires correction) due to chronic illness that occasionally keeps me from being able to type. I will let you know ahead of time. If you are not flexible about this, I may not be the mentor for you. We can discuss. I often give targeted writing prompts as needed, and provide recommendations (to include articles and films) for optional reading outside of official reading lists. 

Importantly, however, I am not going to remind writers to do things—forms, due dates, etc. I expect mentees to build collective support systems within their cohort if they cannot do this for themselves. I expect a desire to move toward fearlessness, confidence, and consistent writing habits. Whether you are just beginning or have experience, you are in this program for a reason. I work best with mentees who own that, who show up to the page with discipline, and are willing to discover how they can keep showing up even when life gets in the way—or, ask for the assistance they need if an obstacle is insurmountable. 

With that said, my capacity for emotional involvement in mentees’ personal issues is very limited. I expect the writers I work with to, eventually, surpass my accomplishments. That means I expect writers to absorb the twenty-five years’ worth of knowledge I share, respectfully question or discard what doesn’t serve, continue to deepen their intellectual curiosity, and be clear about who they are and what they want to make—during the MFA and in the future.

• Prose
  • Between the Devil & the Deep Blue Sea: A Veteran’s Memoir (Legacy Lit/Hachette Books 2025) Radical Poetics: Essays on Literature & Culture (University of Michigan 2025)
• Poetry
  • Anodyne (Tin House 2020)
  • I’m So Fine: A List of Famous Men & What I Had On (YesYes Books 2017)
  • Fearful Beloved (Argos Books 2015)
  • Black Peculiar (Noemi Press 2011)
  • Conduit (Black Goat/Akashic Books 2008)
• Verse Play
  • Non-Sequitur (Litmus Press 2015)