| | WRITER | ^
I
write fiction, essays, and prose poems. My story collection, The
Brooklyn Shuffle, was recently a finalist for the Tartt First Book
Award. My stories have appeared in North American Review, Cimarron Review, Hunger Mountain,
and Green
Mountains Review, among others. My stories and prose poems have
earned four Pushcart Prize nominations, and special mention in Pushcart
Prize XXVIII. I received a Fulbright Fellowship (Italy) to
research my novel, Bel Casino, which is one of two
novels currently in the works.
| | INSTRUCTOR | ^
I teach short story and multi-genre classes
online for the UCLA Writers' Extension and private
workshops from my home in midtown Sacramento. I've previously taught
writing for New Mexico State University and National University's MFA
Program. Please email me if you
would like
further information about my teaching schedule/interests.
| COACH
| ^
If you are a writer who prefers individual
mentoring, I do work with writers privately when my schedule allows. My
coaching methods are holistic; in addition to
comprehensive feedback on specific work, I discuss your overall writing
needs and recommend authors and/or craft books to study. Sometimes I
suggest/assign exercises. For coaching, I charge a per page rate of $10
per
page for short pieces. A page, for billing
purposes, utilizes Times New Roman 12 pt font, double spaced, with
one-inch margins.
For poetry or scholarly writing, I recommend
the services of Dorine
Jennette.
| EDUCATION
| ^
I received my Master's of Fine Arts (MFA) degree
in
Fiction from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM, under the
fine tutelage of writers Kevin (Mc) McIlvoy, Robert (Boz) Boswell, Toni
Nelson, and Connie Voisine.
I received
my Bachelor's of Arts in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in
Literature/Writing from the New School in New York City, where I was
born and raised.
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| LINKS
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I have three stories published online:
"Kissing Decisions" in Night Train
"Bouquet" in Babel Fruit
(This is a reprint. "Bouquet" was originally published in Green Mountains Review.)
"Distance" in Pindeldyboz
I have two stories available in .pdf form:
"Beer Money" from Harpur Palate,
Volume 6.2
"Mama Loves You" from the premier issue of Cantaraville (large file warning: this is a review copy of the entire issue). My story begins on page 158.
Below is a video from my reading at the Sacramento Poetry Center in June. I'm reading a condensed version of my story "Garbage Night at the Opera." The videographer is poet Tim Kahl.
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| | NEWS
| My short short "Kissing Decisions" is the story of the week over at Night Train. ~~~
Stories on Stage was featured on Capitol Public Radio's Insight program last week. You can listen to the clip here (we're at the end). ~~~
~~~
At the UCLA Writers' Extension in 2010, I'm teaching Advanced Short Story this spring, and Flash Fiction in Summer. If interested, you can view my instructor page.
For the Flash Fiction course, we'll be reading exclusively from online
literary journals that publish flash frequently, if not exclusively.
Each week we'll focus on a different journal/site. I'm having a great time reading through the archives of magazines like Mississippi Review online, Pindeldyboz, Vestal Review (and six others!).
~~~
I was interviewed about my workshops by the Sacramento Press, a local paper that encourages citizen journalism. You can read the article here. ~~~
The new issue of Silk Road (Volume 4) includes my essay "Becoming Italian." This journal focuses upon travel and place-based writing, so if that's an interest you should check them out.~~~
Thanks to Shelley Blanton-Stroud for including my workshops as part of five ways to scratch that local literary itch. Shelley writes for the Examiner on all things literary in Sacramento. You can read her article here. ~~~
New Pages mentioned my story "Beer Money" in their review of Harpur Palate. The reviewer wrote, "If fiction is supposed to make humans more tolerant...this is a must-read story for the journey to enlightenment." You can read the full review here.
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