ABOUT ME
I was born in Chicago on November 26, 1984 and grew up in River Forest and Oak Park, Illinois. I attended Frances Willard Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School, and Oak Park River Forest High School. From 2001 to 2003 I was a Writing Fellow at Young Chicago Authors. In my last year of high school I was a Finalist in the NFAA - A.R.T.S. Talent Search, which culminated in my participation National youngARTS Week in Miami, Florida, for which I received a Gold Award in Poetry.
In 2007 I completed my undergraduate education at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where I concentrated in Creative Writing and Cultural Anthropology. At NYU I won the Gallatin Writing Program Prize for Outstanding Prose Writing an unprecedented three times. In 2009 I received my Master of Fine Arts in Fiction, also from NYU, where Lydia Davis supervised the completion of my thesis. During my years in New York City I held a variety of positions that were dreams of mine growing up: I read fiction submissions at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and The New Yorker, worked as a research assistant to the film critic Dennis Lim on his biography of David Lynch, and as personal assistant to the poet Sharon Olds. In 2009 I created a reading series based around the experiences of unrequited love and passion called I HAD IT BAD which took place on the third Wednesday of every month at Happy Ending Lounge in Manhattan. I also had the distinct pleasure of working as a youth mentor with Girls Write Now. I HAD IT BAD has now ended its run at Happy Ending, but might reappear in New York or Los Angeles in the near future.
I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Southern California's PhD program in Creative Writing and Literature, where I am a Virginia B. Middleton Fellow. I recently completed my first novel, Peculiar Qualifications, sections of which have appeared or are forthcoming in The Northwest Review, Lake Affect, Joyland Chicago, and Fifth Wednesday Journal.
At random intervals I write about arts and culture on my blog, Strange What Love Does. I am a skilled freelance editor and can help you bring your writing project to its fullest potential. Contact me for further information.
In 2007 I completed my undergraduate education at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where I concentrated in Creative Writing and Cultural Anthropology. At NYU I won the Gallatin Writing Program Prize for Outstanding Prose Writing an unprecedented three times. In 2009 I received my Master of Fine Arts in Fiction, also from NYU, where Lydia Davis supervised the completion of my thesis. During my years in New York City I held a variety of positions that were dreams of mine growing up: I read fiction submissions at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and The New Yorker, worked as a research assistant to the film critic Dennis Lim on his biography of David Lynch, and as personal assistant to the poet Sharon Olds. In 2009 I created a reading series based around the experiences of unrequited love and passion called I HAD IT BAD which took place on the third Wednesday of every month at Happy Ending Lounge in Manhattan. I also had the distinct pleasure of working as a youth mentor with Girls Write Now. I HAD IT BAD has now ended its run at Happy Ending, but might reappear in New York or Los Angeles in the near future.
I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Southern California's PhD program in Creative Writing and Literature, where I am a Virginia B. Middleton Fellow. I recently completed my first novel, Peculiar Qualifications, sections of which have appeared or are forthcoming in The Northwest Review, Lake Affect, Joyland Chicago, and Fifth Wednesday Journal.
At random intervals I write about arts and culture on my blog, Strange What Love Does. I am a skilled freelance editor and can help you bring your writing project to its fullest potential. Contact me for further information.