I was born in Petros, Tennessee, a tiny coal town on the edge of the Cumberland Mountains. I spent my childhood roaming the foothills of the Appalachias, honing my appreciation for the beauty of the natural world and developing a sense of justice regarding the inherent inequalities in life. Much of my writing and teaching draws from those early experiences. 

The child of two public school teachers, I am passionate about education. As Executive Director at Odyssey School, I get the opportunity to teach students 21st century skills while helping them discover an authentic sense of self. Here is a brief presentation I gave at PechaKucha that shows how innovative our work at Odyssey is!

I graduated from
Newsweek's #1 most liberal college in the U.S., Warren Wilson, with a degree in English and a minor in religion and writing. My work has been published in regional magazines and newspapers, such as Smoke Signals, WNC Woman, and WNC Parent. I'm currently at work on my debut novel.

Writing is a solitary pursuit; sometimes it's fun to cut loose with something a little more collaborative. Film, and especially comedy, is a way I laugh the stress off. My award-winning film company Gorilla with a Mustache recently finished its first feature length indie film One Hell of an Angel.