I started teaching in my mid-twenties, as part of my graduate work in English. I have taught in many different places, and just about all kinds of writing and literature courses. I have always found teaching to be the most rewarding work because I can see its impact immediately and I can do so much to help students make progress.

In addition to learning how to teach writing, during my studies I also concentrated on nineteenth-century British as well as Modern American and British literatures. For many years, I was much more interested in literature than writing, although I have always written for personal and professional purposes.

I have had some success with writing (check me out on Amazon.com!), but I still find it challenging. There are so many layers to good writing, that if done right, it is an intense, all-consuming activity—"doing it right" means saying something worth saying and saying it with the reader in mind. Because I know firsthand the difficulties that writing presents, I feel much compassion for my students who are just beginning as writers.

I enjoy my work more if I make sure to fit in some rest and relaxation. I often take long walks with my dog and babies, to clear my head and do some good thinking. I also keep a journal in which I allow myself to write until I figure out the essence of a problem. I take photographs, mainly of nature but sometimes of people too. I have come to love nature, and make it a point to immerse myself in it as often as possible.