Hello! I am a writer and educator born in New York City. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, where I majored in English Literature. Following graduation, I worked for a year as the Education + Outreach Fellow at the Rebuild Foundation on Chicago’s south side, where I taught and developed a number of community-based programs. After my fellowship ended, I received a graduate degree from the Litowitz Creative Writing Program at Northwestern University, where I also taught English and Creative Writing to undergraduates. Currently I am an MFA candidate at the Creative Writing Program at NYU.
My poetry and prose has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Poetry Magazine, Orion Magazine, Chicago Magazine, and The Golden Shovel Anthology. Amidst my graduate studies, I’ve received awards, residencies or fellowships from the Poetry Society of America, The Poetry Foundation, The Aspen Institute, Tin House, The Newberry Library, The Luminarts Foundation, Crab Orchard Review, Davis Projects for Peace, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and the National Student Poets Program. I’ve also showcased work at BBC Radio London, Tedx, WBEZ Chicago, The British Royal Library, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Poetry Foundation.
Outside of writing, I am an avid bookworm (of course), coffee addict, and yoga enthusiast. I have an adventurous mind and my favorite thing about the writing life is researching corners of the world that are far beyond the scope of my own (I’ve written extensively on rattlesnakes, for example; and I’m currently writing an article about the strange history of the white picket fence). I love to talk with students about their own passions and am known for bringing a fervent spirit to the process of writing and learning.