Greetings, dreamers.
Welcome to my artist website.
I appreciate you stopping by.
Nothing here will compare to a Hawaiian lullaby sky.
Still...
[tips beach hat to Vincent van Gogh]
“I am seeking,
I am striving,
I am in it with
all my heart."
xoxo
Memoir musing...
In 2021, I completed my MFA in Poetry with New England College. A major highlight of my time in the program was working in fervent collaboration with my thesis mentor—brilliant poet, author, educator, and all around artist--as-humanitarian, Chen Chen—to purposefully transform the poems I unearthed as a grad student into a book-length manuscript, woven together with original photography. More than a debut poetry collection, I came to see the work as a narrative collage of words & images. A biopictography, if you will. A hybrid memoir composed of poems I penned and pictures I snapped. In essence, the first draft of a book that's meant to illuminate how a life governed by truth over fear—no matter if your daily trials are sized small, medium, or Holy shit!—will undoubtedly be arduous, but it will also...and more importantly, if only eventually...be 150% worth it.
I'm currently buckling down in the wordsmithery, doing the long-term work of refining, developing, and expanding the manuscript to include nonfiction vignettes. Soon enough, my aim will be to align with a publisher and release it to the world, one nightstand at a time.
Chen had some gracious, beautiful words to share about the work when he introduced me at my graduation ceremony & reading. Words such as (((blush)))...
Here is a poet who refuses to settle for half-truths, restlessly striving instead toward a full aliveness that shines and shines with the integrity of hard-won, innermost knowledge.
- Chen Chen
Click the image to read the full transcription & learn more!
LEARN MORE...
My journey with song. . .
...unfolded across two decades of mic checks
performed from the juncture of In it &
Not--to--"win"--but---to--live--love--lose--learn--and--GIVE--it...
hundreds of gigs...innumerable hours spent sleuthing the right word/note/melody/chord/rhythm/affordable-but-tasty bottle of red...one ocean...thirty states...tens of thousands of road warrior'd miles...bottomless mugs and thermoses of joe...five records...tons of homespun demos...a brimming treasure chest of live, recorded, and written collaborations with world--class musicians & tunesmiths...and most importantly, immeasurable joys shared with countless listening souls-turned-noble patrons and friends. But don't just take my word for it—take in these archived sights & sounds.
I teaching.
Which is to say... I love demystifying poetry for those who are at once allured & alarmed by its soul-nourishing sucker punches of huh??! and hmmmm... and aaaaah. I also love instructing writing students who want to unearth and/or develop their authentic voice with a dedication to literary excellence. To these scholarly & artistic ends, it is my ongoing joy and honor to create and present dynamic workshops, classes, and talks in partnership with public libraries, colleges, and arts organizations across the Metro NY Region, as well as through independent online programming. Please check out the photo gallery above for a window into my world and way of being as a passionate, uncaped crusader of verse—if it resonates, I'd love to see you at an upcoming class or event!
