Fun Facts

I have three post-secondary degrees, but none of these impress my Gemini cat, who is only really impressed by catnip scratching pads & morning cuddles. I write poems; I practice calligraphy while watching a lot of documentaries. You can often find me swimming, hiking, or striking a wobbly yoga pose!

About Me

I'm a native Northern California girl, happy to be back in the Bay. After completing a BA in Medieval History (including terms at St Andrews and Oxford) at Stanford University, I trekked to Illinois, where I completed a MLS with a focus in Youth Services Librarianship. I worked at a local high school there, and realized that where I really wanted to be was in the classroom. I've spent the last two years at the victoria">University of Victoria completing an MFA in poetry, teaching undergraduate creative writing, doing literacy tutoring, and leading youth writing groups.

Most recently, I taught three four-week English classes through the UC Berkeley Talent Search program. My students - rising 9th, 10th, and 11th graders - were challenged to develop their critical thinking and analytical skills through classroom discussion and essay-writing. Many, at the end of the course, commented that they felt much more confident about their essay writing skills.

While living in Victoria, I was a literacy tutor with Literacy Victoria. My learner & I met weekly, each time working through a lesson I had put together. We focused on areas she identified for improvement & areas where I saw she could use help. During the time we worked together, I saw her confidence & skills improve dramatically; not only was she more comfortable reading and responding to questions in writing, she could also identify what kinds of texts she enjoyed.

I also worked with a youth writing group while in Victoria. Although it was not technically tutoring, I acted as an academic and emotional advisor to the youth who came. We used poetry exercises I had written to casually unpack literary devices. The possibilities of metaphor and imagery in poetry pushed them into new ways of talking – and thinking – about themselves.

As a tutor, I see myself as engineer, designing a bridge between my students and the knowledge they want to learn or the skills they want to gain. I help them to build the bridge, but where it begins