When I’m not plotting world peace or obsessing over the news, you’ll find me writing about werewolves and epic battles of good and evil, or working on my memoirs of Peace Corps Jordan and the Egyptian Revolution.

Born to Bostonian parents in Pennsylvania Dutch country, I headed abroad at my first opportunity and spent the second 16 years of my life bouncing between continents. I was a Peace Corps educator in Jordan, 2004–2006, and a CASA I Fellow studying in Cairo during the 2011 Arab Spring.

I’ve published about those experiences in journals including From Sac, New Madrid Journal, Silk Road Review, Newfound, and Michigan Quarterly Review, with an essay collection in progress. You’re warmly invited to peruse My Publications and Portfolio for links to more, and to follow this blog (top right) to be the first to hear about the next story I put out in the world.

Now in New York City, I teach Arabic and English as a Second Language, and have experience with translating, copyediting, project management and curriculum development for a variety of organizations. I have worked in fundraising and community development, and have over 14 years of experience teaching adults and children in a range of contexts, including refugee service organizations, academia and private language schools in Jordan, Indiana, Cairo, New York and New Jersey. I have a Certificate of English Language Teaching for Adults (CELTA), a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Goucher College, and a Master’s in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from Indiana University  with a focus on Arabic language and linguistics.