You know what a niche pet peeve of mine is? Author bios that read like resumes (prizes, fellowships, residencies, etc.). Writing is personal, and who you are shapes what you write—especially when, like me, you live and work in your points of view, not journalistic neutrality. My stance might change once an award comes my way.

I’ve been writing for myself for as long as I can remember, though I didn’t pursue it seriously for a long time I did get the requisite English degree at the University of Scranton (I was born and raised in Northeast PA), and spent five years teaching Literature and Creative Writing in Lancaster, PA, before burning the hell out. 

After leaving teaching in my late 20s, I navigated a couple of tough, personal and professional transitional years (including a stint at a Scranton-area call center that felt like an Office parody). It was in my 30s that things finally started clicking: I found steady work in content marketing, moved to Asheville, and came out, something that’s 100% made my writing more honest (and, frankly, more interesting—a useful differentiator from other middle-class white Pats). I also confronted my imposter syndrome and began sending out pitches…successfully.

When not writing, I love hiking, exploring the many little mountain towns that make Western North Carolina such a charming place to live, perhaps spending too much time in Asheville’s many breweries, reading, traveling, complaining that you can’t find good chicken parm sandwiches outside the Northeast, and xc skiing when I’m back up north. I listen to a lot of Bruce Springsteen and Tyler Childers, re-read Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series every few years, and bounce back and forth between rebinging Veep and Happy Endings. 

My life goal is to someday be sponsored by L.L. Bean and/or Wawa.