Detroit
I was born in Detroit, Michigan, where my father was a popular psychology professor at Wayne State University. My strong sense of justice developed early, when I chose to drop out of kindergarten after two weeks because the teacher was bullying one of the other students.
Oberlin College
I graduated from Roeper School and went on to Oberlin College, graduating with a Bachelor’s in English and Creative Writing.
Ann Arbor
After college, I moved to Ann Arbor, where I worked as a clerk at a natural foods co-op, a waitress at a bar, and a secretary at the University.
University of Michigan
I completed a Ph.D. in American Culture from University of Michigan, with specializations in English Literature & Film Studies.
My dissertation, “Domestic Horrors: Family Values & the Intruder Film, 1987-1997,” was a huge blast to write!
Teaching at UM
Both as a graduate student teaching assistant and after completing my graduate degree, I taught American Culture courses in “History of American Cinema” and “Whiteness in Popular Culture” at University of Michigan.
Freelance Writing
Partly overlapping with my graduate school and teaching years, I worked as a freelance writer, completing over 300 reference entries and original literary criticism on writers and works of fiction for print and online encyclopedias published by Gale (now a Cengage company).
Greenville, South Carolina
In 2010, my husband and I moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where I taught composition and English literature at Greenville Technical College.
Salem, Massachusetts
In 2013 we moved to Salem, Massachusetts (where the witches are!) and in 2014 I began teaching at Endicott College in Beverley, Massachusetts.
Jupiter, Florida
We moved again in 2017, this time to Jupiter, Florida. Since 2018, I have continued to teach for Endicott as a remote instructor, with 100% online courses in American Popular Culture and Literature for Children.
Self-publishing
In the fall of 2021, I made the decision to self-publish some of the manuscripts I’ve been developing over the past 20 years. I found Amazon’s e-book and print-on-demand self-publishing tools well-suited to facilitating the achievement of my publishing goals. As a result, within a 12-month period, I have self-published 3 novels and a story collection.
Tucson, Arizona
I currently write and teach online from my home in Tucson, Arizona, where I enjoy hiking in the Catalina Mountains, swimming laps in an outdoor pool, and cycling on the Loop that circles the city.