Greetings, dreamers.
Welcome to my artist website.
I appreciate you stopping by.
Nothing here will compare to a Hawaiian lullaby sky.
Still...
[tips beach hat to Vincent van Gogh]
“I am seeking,
I am striving,
I am in it with
all my heart."
xoxo
Memoir musing...
In 2021, I completed my MFA in Poetry from New England College. A major highlight of my time in the program was working in soulful partnership with my thesis mentor—remarkable poet, educator, and generally brilliant artist--as-humanitarian, Chen Chen. Under Chen's incomparable guidance, I produced my thesis manuscript, which is essentially the {{poof!}} first draft of a book. More than a debut collection of poetry, the work I birthed is a sort of...biopictography, if you will...a narrative opus of verse & visions...a hybrid memoir that fuses poems I penned and photographs I snapped, the lot of it crafted for the hopeful purpose of serving my fellow stardusters in search of deep truths & vivifying whims.
For the time being, I'm buckling down in wordtown, refining, developing, and curating the work with the intention of aligning with a publisher who believes my little memoir that could WILL wind up docked on your nightstand as the literary harbor to your heart.
Chen had some gracious, beautiful words to share about the manuscript when he introduced me at my graduation ceremony & reading. Words such as (((blush)))...
"Here is a poet who refuses to settle for half-truths, restlessly striving instead toward a full aliveness that shines and shines with the integrity of hard-won, innermost knowledge."
Link to the full transcription here to read and learn more!
LEARN MORE...
My journey with song. . .
...unfolded across two decades of mic checks
performed from the juncture of In it &
Not--to--win--but---to--live--love--lose--learn--and--GIVE--it...
hundreds of gigs...innumerable hours spent sleuthing the right word/note/melody/chord/rhythm/affordable-but-tasty bottle of red...one ocean...thirty states...tens of thousands of road warrior'd miles...bottomless mugs and thermoses of joe...five records...tons of homespun demos...a brimming treasure chest of live, recorded, and written collaborations with world--class musicians & tunesmiths...and most importantly, immeasurable joys shared with countless listening souls-turned-noble patrons and friends. But don't just take my word for it—take in these archived sights & sounds.
I teaching.
Which is to say, I love demystifying poetry for those who are at once allured & alarmed by its soul-nourishing sucker punches of huh??! and hmmmm... and aaaaah. I also love instructing students who want to unearth & cultivate an authentic voice and a devotion to literary excellence. To these sweet scholarly ends, it is my ongoing joy and honor to create and present dynamic workshops, courses, and lectures in partnership with public libraries, universities, arts & culture organizations, and community colleges throughout NYC and the Metro NY Region, as well as online and wherever the lectern of my indie teaching-artist soul may roam!
(As evidenced in the gallery above. Click on any photo to expand and peruse!)
