About Me

In every family, there are those who stay and those who go. In my family, I was the one who went.

I went to college, where I learned both the importance of empathy and the need to think critically. I studied writing by writing: essays and papers and short stories that examined questions of race, class, gender and sexuality.

I went to the Middle East, where I fell in love not once but many times, with the markets and the ancient architecture and the world’s most hospitable people. I became intrigued, enthralled and eventually wholly smitten with the Arabic language, in all its depth and richness. I wrote my first novel in the shadow of minarets. I’d envisioned a brilliant book that combined the tension of a fast-paced thriller with the insight of a philosophical treatise. I ended up with a barely comprehensible mess. (Perhaps this was not surprising.) At the same time, the experience helped me understand structure and characterization and narrative, and also the inescapable truth that the only way to be a writer is to write.

I went to large cities on the East Coast, Montreal and Baltimore and New York, exploring everything from famous landmarks to odd, unexpected corners. I loved history and languages and theories of everything as much as ever but, I discovered, I did not want to be an academic. I fell in love – with a person this time, not a language – got married, had a baby. I wrote a second novel, less ambitious in scope, but more ambitious in character. I found an agent, who sold the book. (I write that so lightly, as though the process of publishing is not long, nerve-wracking and studded with feelings of self hatred and failure. But if you are a writer, you will know that part of the process. And if you are not, well, you are lucky to be spared.)

I went – I came, perhaps I should write – to North Carolina. I had a second child, I wrote a second book. I found an incredible job working at a locally-based national literary magazine, and have spent the last dozen years working with authors of both short stories and personal essays. I learned to identify a compelling premise or authentic experience, even if set in awkward prose or a stilted narrative. I developed a sense for the individual suggestions each essay needed to make it stronger – maybe a tense piece that told the story of a single afternoon needed to cut details and let the author’s voice shine through, or an essay that explored a complex issue needed to incorporate more of the author’s own experience. I came to see, too, that everyone’s life has been full of compelling stories. The challenge is to help the author see how to structure and express those stories in a way that connects with readers.

I came to coaching college essay writing entirely by accident. An old friend asked me if I could help her son with his college essay, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the experience. After her son got accepted into his first choice university, she began recommending me to her friends. Working with students to identify the important experiences in their lives and how that’s made them who they are is fascinating. And I couldn’t help but notice a trend: students who wrote a strong essay that showcased their passion, revealed their character and was written in their own voice, had a much better chance to be accepted to the institution of their choice.

Throughout our lives, there are times we go and times we stay. I’ve exchanged exciting travel, bustling cities and everyday adventures to put down roots in North Carolina. Here, I’m raising a family, writing a new novel while sitting out in the sunshine of my backyard, and developing a satisfying career helping students like you, on the verge of finding their voice and their future. For me, this is a time to stay. For you, it’s your time to go, to explore the world, to find your own future. And it’s my privilege to assist you in that process.