Educator

After two decades in the classroom, I am confident of three things: 

> Everyone can write. 

> Everyone should write. 

> Writing is vastly undervalued. 

This doesn’t mean everyone should see themselves as an author or that every piece of writing should be presented to an outside audience. Writing is slower, deeper, richer thinking that, when done consistently and well, makes a person more empathetic and knowledgeable. It is the process through which people take their own ideas and place them in a larger conversation on the topic. It is where we test, reject, and accept thoughts that would otherwise go unchecked. In the end, the process of writing should make us better versions of ourselves. This philosophy has animated my work in classrooms ranging from public high schools to art institutes to public and private universities. It also drives the majority of my scholarship focused on practical concerns within the art and science of teaching creative writing. 

Speaker

There are a few facets of my lived experience that factor into my public speaking. I am the youngest child of a preacher. A former singer who performed quite a bit. A basketball coach who often gave technical instruction in parable form. A storyteller whose love language is sarcasm. A journalist who cared less about who was answering the question than who they were answering for and who they should be answering to. And an educator known for leaving unplanned space in every lesson to allow for riffing as the spirit leads. All of these elements combine in my public speaking, which focuses on writing, story, creativity, publishing, education, and issues of race related to adoption and all as they intersect with belief.