I'm a teacher and a poet (I recently published a book), but I began my career as a journalist. While working as a reporter, I realized that writing and poetry also need the sort of in-depth treatment and explanation that I was giving to news topics. And I began to want to help people understand writing the way I do--as an exciting field of possibility and play. Yes, writing can be difficult. Yes, poetry can be difficult. But this difficulty need not be frustrating or off-putting. In 2013, I left my career in journalism to pursue a career in teaching. Since then, I have helped hundreds of students better understand and enjoy both the process of writing and the work of published authors. I earned a B.A. in English from Harvard, a M.S. in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia, and a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Most recently, I completed my Ph.D. in English at Florida State University, where I taught a variety of writing and literature courses. I enjoy being in front of a big class, but what I love most is working with students one-on-one and in small groups.