°®¶¹´«Ã½ÊÓƵ

Biography

I am a creative writer, lecturer of English, and mom. I am also an avid scrapbooker, metalhead, and graveyard hopper and enjoy visiting haunted locations, reading psychological horror, and watching paranormal tv shows, scary movies, and old sitcoms. I am the oldest of six daughters from Woodridge, Illinois. My preferred pronouns are she/her.

A °®¶¹´«Ã½ÊÓƵ alum, I received a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a minor in creative writing, and a Master’s degree in English. I earned a Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University with concentrations in trauma studies, creative writing, and composition instruction. For eight years, I served as director of °®¶¹´«Ã½ÊÓƵ’s Writing Center.

I am the author of Scattershot: Collected Fictions (Lit Fest Press 2015), a hybrid collection that re-envisions the trauma narrative, and have published short stories, poetry, and blurred genre texts, though my current favorite genre is flash fiction. Recent publications can be found in Intricacy Literary Review, The First Line, Libre, Book of Matches, The Criterion, Halfway Down the Stairs, Unlikely Stories, Del Sol Review, and Beliveau Review. I am also the founder of the Peoria writing group Prairie Shadow Writers.

Teaching for °®¶¹´«Ã½ÊÓƵ since 2007, I enjoy and appreciate working with students from every background and major. My service to the university includes the English Department’s Undergraduate Studies Committee, LAS’s Core Practices Committee, and the Body Project; I have also served as a faculty mentor for various student groups. Whether teaching literature, creative writing, or composition, I work from an interdisciplinary approach, integrating trauma theory, and emphasize critical thinking, audience analysis, and real-life application in each class I teach. My favorite courses to teach include Literatures of Identity: Vulnerable Populations and Introduction to Creative Writing. Depending on the semester, my courses include:

• English 101 – First-Year Composition
• English 115 – Introduction to Literature
• English 125 – Literatures of Identity
• English 207 – Introduction to Creative Writing
• English 300 – Advanced Composition
• English 306 – Business Communication
• English 495 – Independent Study in Creative Writing
• English 630 – American Periods
• English 690 – Internship in Literature
• English 691 – Internship in Writing
• Honors 100 – Honors Seminar

Student Involvement Opportunities

Teaching, Support, Mentoring, Advising