About Me
During the day, I’m a high school teacher (English and Law this year, with History, Writing, and Student Services/Special Education in recent years). When the marking and planning for the day are done, I fit in as much writing as possible. It’s been my passion for decades, and I love working in a variety of genres: poetry, prose, and non-fiction.
Getting to this point has required a few years in university:
- Associate of Arts, College of the Rockies
- Bachelor of Arts (Humanities Major–History, English, and Religious Studies concentrations), University of Lethbridge
- Bachelor of Education, University of British Columbia-Okanagan
- Post-Graduate Certificate in Special Education, Queen’s University
- Master of Arts (English Language and Literature), Carleton University
This has meant a lot of moving around, but I love to visit and experience new places. When I was younger, I had the opportunity to live in New Hampshire, Mississippi, and Maryland. I got to know a lot of great people, and the scenes and experiences have shaped who I am and how I write.
I also love to read as much as possible. With three children, I am constantly exposed to new and exciting children’s books. While I was training to become a teacher, I was blessed to work with our local youth literacy program, reading with students in elementary school. I try to set a list of books each year and fit in a few more around them. Among the books I’m looking at for this year:
- Octavia Butler – Parable of the Sower
- Rachel Carson – Silent Spring
- Miguel de Cervantes – Don Quixote
- Joseph Crane – The Red Badge of Courage
- Jackson Crawford – The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes
- Tony Danza – I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High
- W. E. B. Du Bois – The Souls of Black Folk
- Umberto Eco – The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
- Harry Harrison – Make Room! Make Room!
- Henry James – The Turn of the Screw
- James Joyce – Dubliners
- Nikos Kazantzakis – Zorba the Greek
- Stephen King – The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
- N. Scott Momaday – House Made of Dawn
- Toni Morrison – Beloved
- Haruki Murakami – Kafka on the Shore
- William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson – Logan’s Run
- William F. Nolan – Logan’s World/Logan’s Search
- George Orwell – Down and Out in Paris and London
- Eden Robinson – Son of a Trickster
- Joanna Russ – The Female Man
- William Shakespeare – The Merry Wives of Windsor
- Suzanne Simard – Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
- Snorri Sturluson – The Prose Edda
- John Steinbeck – The Log from the Sea of Cortez
- Booker T. Washington – Up from Slavery
- Evelyn Waugh – Men at Arms
In reality, the list is a basic outline. I tend to get a bit distracted, change a few, and toss in some others for enjoyment or to get a deeper understanding of current events. Feel free to check me out on Goodreads to see my progress.
I also like to share ideas and work with people with similar interests, so I am a member of:
-
- American Historical Association
- Canadian Authors Association
- Federation of BC Writers
- Modern Language Association
- Popular Culture Association
- Professional Wrestling Studies Association
- Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
- Society for Utopian Studies
- Utopian Studies Society
- World History Association
I also serve as a manuscript referee for Utopian Studies and a reviewer for the journal Autism in Adulthood, was a member of the editorial board of the now-defunct The Best Century: A Journal of the Nineteenth Century, and represented Carleton University’s graduate students on the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English.
I also love the beautiful scenery and vibrant arts community where I live, and I’m a member of my local community theatre society, arts council, performing arts society, cycling club, and community forest society.