My passion and joy is holding space for writers to grow, blossom, and thrive. I’m an experienced creative writing instructor with an MFA in Poetry from San Francisco State University, where I also earned a BA in Creative Writing and a Certificate in Teaching Composition.

For over a decade, I’ve taught writing classes in multiple genres—poetry, fiction, playwriting, memoir, and journalism—at San Francisco State University, Berkeley City College, SF Creative Writing Institute, where I served as Poetry Department Chair, and privately. Teaching private poetry workshops is the most fun and rewarding thing I do.  

I’ve helped hundreds of writers find inspiration, gain confidence, develop their voices, hone their skills, connect with the literary community, and get published. I believe everyone has the capacity for creativity, and writing is a learned skill that can be taught. There’s room for all of us to succeed, and we do better when we strive towards greatness together.

In my classes, I meet my students wherever they are—from beginners with little or no experience to seasoned poets looking for deep feedback or a new direction.

I’ve learned that adults don’t love to be beginners. We like the idea of trying new things, but it also makes us feel vulnerable. I work to create a warm, supportive environment, where students are encouraged to be messy and take risks, to write into the uncomfortable, so they can stretch and grow.

As a result, my students have breakthroughs. They publish poems, write chapbooks, get accepted to MFA programs, win awards, feature at open mics—they give themselves permission to be practicing poets and have fun doing it. Come write with me!