My Story
I wrote my first poem in third grade and have been writing ever since. But I earned my keep in less glamorous ways. Bookkeeping at a Mack truck service shop (a wonder my uncle’s shop didn’t fold); typing at a national farm magazine (I was lightning fast but ran through gallons of Wite-Out); waitressing; being house-parent to teens barely younger than me; writing product publicity for a ceramic tile manufacturer (oh, the stories I have yet to tell of photo shoots in men’s bathrooms!)
In grad school, I discovered my true profession as a writing & literature professor (Tompkins Cortland Community College; Ithaca College; Pennsylvania State University). What a gift, to work with young people and ideas and language. But it wasn’t until retiring that I truly focused on my poetry and fiction. An even greater gift. When not writing, I paint, hike, travel when I can, garden haphazardly, and work with several nonprofits in central PA. I am also a totally besotted grandmama of a darling, spirited baby girl!
IN THE PRESS
