Greetings from New Mexico, USA, my heart's home. I love this world of landscapes and light, contours and communities.

I arrived in the desert Southwest after a suburban, southern California childhood that morphed into college years at the University of California, Santa Barbara, culminating in a bachelor's degree in developmental psychology. Then came the  domestic era of marriage, part-time jobs, motherhood, and ministry, including two major moves, first into Arizona, then, New Mexico. 

Intellectual hunger (twin passions of reading and writing) led to a multi-year graduate school career,  juggling act as parent, teacher, student... to earn a master's degree in English from Northern Arizona University and PhD from the University of New Mexico. Throughout my study of literature, I drew inspiration from Native American women writers whose poetry and prose informed my understanding of the U.S. Southwest and my connection to it.

Since leaving my academic career as Associate Professor of English, I have worked in industry, education, consulting, and scientific and technical communications. Words are the common denominator as I rearrange the pieces of my writing, editing, and teaching lives to create the next chapters. 

I've published three books of poetry, edited manuscripts for other poets and writers, and am now writing my own memoir. I write from a poet's sensibilities, an editor's brain, and a teacher's heart.

In my daily life and writing, I choose reverence, poetry, and spirituality over religious dogma and patriarchal systems. I offer writing workshops on Mindful Editing, Basic Writing Skills, and How to Write Your Own Obituary, sharing my journey of discovery with wisdom and passion, empowering others along the way.

My work has appeared in Albuquerque Journal, the Navajo Times, Feminism and Religion, and in literary and academic journals. My second book, Rabbit Sun, Lotus Moon, was a poetry finalist for the 2017 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award. My Substack publication, In Our Own Ink, inspires others to create and live a writing life.

Whenever I travel abroad to visit family or attend writing events, the return to brilliant blue sky, Georgia O’Keeffe clouds, and New Mexico's red chile ristras and green chile enchiladas is as sweet as rich, dark chocolate. And I am home, again.