I am a storyteller.
I write middle grade novels that let you dance around in someone else’s shoes for a while, picture books to make kids giggle, and poetry that gets to the heart of things. My poetry collection, Fierce Delight, Poems of Early Motherhood, comes out in May 2025.
When I’m not creating new worlds, I’m holding up my microphone for others for others to tell me their stories, then transforming those for radio. And really, is there any better gift than having someone tell you their story? That’s how I encountered such delightful stories as the Hmong hiphop artist who performed with his grandma or how Wanda Gag transformed the children’s picture book.
I’m a weekend host at Minnesota Public Radio News, and my weekly features (“Art Hounds” and “Ask a Bookseller”) let me connect with creatives across the state and indie booksellers across the country. I studied English at Williams College and poetry at the University of Minnesota (MFA). I co-wrote a textbook for teachers called Powerful Ideas in Teaching: Creating Environments Where Students Want to Learn (co-written with Dr. Mickey Kolis) as well as a poetry chapbook, Glances Back. I live in Minnesota with my husband and daughters.
Check out a sample of my poetry here:
"Snip" (for the 146 victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire)
Photo credit: Christine Nguyen