As a professor of writing, I’m particularly interested in working with students to explore the interplay between the creation of texts and the creation of self. My goal is for students to use writing to understand and to transform themselves and the world—falling under the spell of language as they do so. Along the way, I put equally heavy emphases on three elements: deep, complex thinking; aesthetics and style; and technical skills.
As a researcher and educator, my work focuses on the role of literature and writing in the development of self—particularly for young adults. My research writing has appeared in academic journals such as The ALAN Review, English Education, California English, and the Bank Street Occasional Paper Series, as well as the edited collections Critical Approaches for Critical Educators: Engaging with Multicultural Young Adult Literature in the Secondary English Classroom and Pedagogies of Kindness and Respect: On the Lives and Education of Children.
Prior to joining Liberal Studies as a clinical assistant professor, I taught in the graduate English Education program at NYU Steinhardt. Before that, I taught in the graduate Teaching of English program at Teachers College, Columbia University and worked as a secondary English teacher and literacy coach for the New York City Department of Education.