I am an older lesbian who's been writing since I was a teen, without sharing much of my work, outside of a few writing groups over the years.  I have led a number of writing groups/classes and worked with dozens of writers as an editor and coach. Skilled at encouraging other writers and virtually unable to believe in myself. But at this point in my life, I'm feeling braver or perhaps just feeling a little sense of urgency about my work.  I'd like to find a small group who will read/listen and give me kind, but honest feedback about my writing.  With years of experience, I promise to offer insightful comments on your writing and/or whatever type of feedback you request.  I truly love listening to all kinds of writing.  People's stories fascinate me.  I ask that group members encourage me if I share something that has merit and tell me frankly if it needs more work. Please hold me accountable for showing up and sharing.

Not brave enough yet to list my outdated website.  Maybe later.  

I worked on a Master's degree (not an MFA)  in creative writing-poetry in my twenties, but ended up leaving it to work full-time. When not enrolled in workshops at colleges I was attending, I often started or faciliatated community writing groups.

I switched to non-fiction after my daughter was born, but still have an interest in poetry. I've published some small pieces and am working on memoir. I'm looking for inspiration, accountability, and critiquing. My professional background is in education and I currently teach freshman composition at the college level. 

I earned my BA in Creative Writing from Kansas State University and an MFA in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University. My debut novel, The Evolution of Shadows, was published by Unbridled Books in 2009. I briefly published a DIY literary journal called The Project for a New Mythology, and currentlty host The Outrider Podcast, although it's on hiatus. 

There's not a very well integrated or welcoming writing community where I live, and the pandemic has made it even more fractured. So, I'm looking for a couple of things. 

First, a group of writers to discus craft, aesthetics, and the theory of creative writing and to workshop projects.   

 I'd also like to connect with other writers in situations similar to mine: traditionally published midlist literary writers struggling to get the next book accepted. 

I am primarily a poet, with fiction(al?) aspirations. 

I've been writing a lot of speculative fiction lately, along with poetry and academic work.

I'm looking for a group that's honest but supportive, with folks who've had some success but want more, who have a lot to learn and a lot to teach.

I am a high school English and Creative Writing teacher. I have taught for one decade in local public schools, five years of which primarily served low-socioeconomic students. I enjoy dark literature: Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allan Poe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I'm also a fan of true crime anything- podcasts, documentaries, novels, etc. I am a mother to three children, two large dogs, one overweight cat, and a fluctuating population of fish. I am currently working on my master's degree in English, as well. 

I'm feeling for routes through a sprawling landscape of documentary fiction and other disciplines such as memoir, history, three-dimensional objects on exhibit, and performance. The broad topics might include diaspora, genocide, mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, and monuments, memories, and memorials.