I am a 37-year old woman who grew up in a small town in Indiana. I attempt to write creative nonfiction, and even more poorly attempt to write poetry. I teach middle school language arts and American literature (English 10) at Burris Laboratory School. In my spare time, I am a doctoral student in American literature, working on a dissertation about consumption and sustenance in African American women’s novels. I think living through grace, peace, and love makes the most noble lifestyle. Life should be easy and beautiful and filled with playfulness and joy. Simple, yet filling.
I grew up in Hartford City, Indiana and graduated from Blackford High School. I then went to Ball State and earned my BS in elementary education with a specialty in language arts. From Ball State, I went to Garfield Elementary and taught for two years before going to Anderson University for three years of seminary. When I graduated, I became a youth minister at Grace United Methodist Church in Hartford City, and I worked there for five years.
Near the end of my five years at Grace, I decided I wanted to go back to school to get my PhD in literature, so I found my way back to Ball State. Now I am finished with my coursework and am working on my dissertation. It’s a slow and challenging process, but good and fulfilling.
I am interested in American literature, specifically African American women’s writing, and more specifically slave narratives and neo-slave narratives. I enjoy reading theological texts, particularly those about Christianity and Buddhism. I also like to read and write memoir, and I love to just sit on the porch with a good book and a nice breeze.
In my spare time, when I am not reading, I like to run, bicycle, walk, swim, play disc golf or basketball, and play with my pets. As you will discover, I am kind of a health nut, even though I am a perpetual fat kid. I follow a paleo diet and I am trying to learn to lift big rocks, as some might put it. My favorite type of food is anything spicy: the hotter, the better.
I am concerned about homelessness and poverty, civil rights, and environmental issues. I hope that one day we will live in a world ruled by peace and compassion, because I feel that is the only way we will ever be able to truly respect each other’s humanity. As the Dalai Lama says, “I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for oneself, one’s own family or nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace.”
Me and My Brother
