My call to teaching began with InsideOUT Writers at Central Juvenile Hall in 2004 when I began working with incarcerated youth. In the halls I became witness to the power of teaching and the ability to change the course of a life in dramatic fashion. I became compelled to teach as a career after my experience inside Juvenile Hall. Written words unlock minds and make new worlds ready for exploration. All one needs is the blank space of the page to do it. As a writer of creative nonfiction, the kids I work with showed me the power self-expression through the written word can bring to an individual.
I discovered my own writing talents as an undergraduate student at Antioch University Los Angeles and obtained both my BA and MFA degrees at AULA. Currently, I am Teaching Faculty for the undergraduate program and continue my work within the Los Angeles Juvenile Justice System teaching self-reflective prose and poetry. My own writing has been published in the NY Times, LA Weekly, The Wazoo Journal and other publications around the country. I am currently finishing my memoir “Drinking Buddy.”
