Teaching

Upcoming/ongoing

“Memoir and Creative Writing,” an ongoing weekly class offered at Chicago’s Center for Life and Learning since January 2015. Six- to ten-week sessions held in other locations. (A look at how I coach this enjoyable class: “Teaching Brevity in Memoir.”)

Previous writing workshops

“Flash Nonfiction,” a three-week creative nonfiction class offered at Chicago’s Newberry Library, October 2023.

“Short Story Workshop,” a five-week fiction workshop focused on participant writing and feedback, offered at Newberry Library, March 2022 (virtual).

“Beginning Fiction: Writing Beyond Your Real Life,” a six-week class at Newberry Library, winter 2021 (virtual), fall 2018, and winter/spring 2017.

“Writing Short Stories: Voice, Stakes, Time & Place,” a four-week fiction class at Newberry Library, winter 2020.

“Exploring Personal Essays” a six-week creative nonfiction class at Newberry Library, summer 2019, and at the Center for Life and Learning, winter/spring 2019.

“Let’s Talk Dialogue,” a three-hour class at Newberry Library, September 29, 2018.

“Point of View Primer: Getting Perspective,” a four-hour class at Newberry Library, June 2, 2018. (Content relevant to fiction and creative nonfiction work.)

“Fiction 5K: Read 5 Stories, Write 5,000+ Words,” a five-week workshop at Newberry Library, fall 2017.

Coaching

I occasionally work with writers one-on-one and provide editorial review and guidance on individual projects. Contact me for more information.

Credentials

My teaching benefits from the expertise and insights of faculty and peers in many writing programs. I earned an MFA in fiction writing from Queens University of Charlotte and am a past participant in the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, among others. As a volunteer fiction reader for two literary journals, I have had the opportunity to read and evaluate numerous story submissions. I have an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.