I’m a huge fan of teaching, mentoring, public transit, public health and community outreach. As a writer I’ve been really lucky with both educational and community grants—I give back and pay it forward by running free online and in-person workshops for schools, non-profit organizations, at-risk communities and independent bookstores. I also create coursework for students, writers and artists of all ages.

Austin in the 1990s was a good place to be a local poet and I’m forever grateful to The Electric Lounge, The Austin Chronicle and the other artists and performers from that time, including the other Blue Plate Poets.

Before I moved to Los Angeles I was a Michener Fellow in Texas, a Hodder Fellow at Princeton University, and an NEA grant recipient in poetry. The University of Akron Press published my first book of poems and it’s available online.

My newest collection of poetry, “The Vital Function of Constant Narrative,” won first prize in a manuscript contest and was published by V Press LC, and it’s also available online. This collection came out at the very end of the pandemic and my book tour is ongoing. Further dates to be announced, see you in Austin and Los Angeles this year!