I am an artist whose muse is language.

My indulgence is journalism and poetry, both of which I utilize as a neo-duo I’ve coined,
“curious creativity.”

Information need not be reportage rote and stagnant to intrigue, nor must poetry “end rhyme”  to narrative emotion that transcends human condition or align with lyrics that invite language to long-leap.

I enjoy writing about people of intrigue and subjects often overlooked or underrepresented. Likewise, I enjoying penning poems that defy form in verse, employ literary devices including meter, slant/off rhyme, assonance, metaphor, or anything I may choose to gently encourage a poem to “do.” A poet I know would read the latter and respond: poems don’t do, poems be. People do.

I am a people who “poetic do-be.”

Personally, I am a military-raised, Texas born woman who currently resides in Florida. I earned a B.A. degree in Journalism at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) and furthered studies at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. Upon completing two years of writing residencies with some fine, fine, fine writing instructors, attending oft boring and hip faculty readings, perusing Harvard Square, and ultimately learning that I didn’t know “JACK” about line breaks, they awarded me an M.F.A. in Creative Writing. Funny how that worked out!

Most recently, I’ve decided that surviving cancer wasn’t a battle worthy of returning to a 40 hour-week grind. I now launch out into the deep and pursue writing full-time because after all, I am a writer, and I am a penny poet.

This 2011 year, I was selected to participate in a Creative Capital Professional Development Workshop. It changed my life. I am focused, goal oriented, special project directed and determined.

In April of this same good fortune year, I will be one of 12 writers participating in the National Minority Writer’s Seminar at Vanderbilt University, sponsored by the National Board of Editorial Writers. I look forward to learning how to “temper my opinion” and diversify my writing.

Actually, I just look forward to writing.

I welcome honest response.

P