Welcome to my Author Page

I write about the ugly things in life which often intersect with the beauty of the human condition. Primarily, I write creative non-fiction, memoir, personal narratives, and travel essays and a lot about HIV COVID-19. The last time I wrote a poem was in elementary school and, well, let's just say it's best I don't try again. Follow my writing and see what other unexpected surprises I reveal.

I am an educator, writer, and advocate for social justice and human rights for all. I am currently a proud (poor) adjunct for CUNY (LaGuardia Community College and Bronx Community College) with the College Now Program which offers free college courses to public school teens while still in high school. My greatest joy is the opportunity to work with my students and help them find their voices on the page. What they have to say is so very important. They inspire me and give me hope for our future.

I was born in the great state of New Mexico but raised in California. I've lived in Belgium, Switzerland, France, Australia, and New Zealand. I've had long-term work stints in England, Eritrea, Albania, Malawi, and Madagascar. I have had the good fortune to travel extensively–90+ countries and counting–using a variety of modes of transportation and for a variety of reasons, but I will always be a Californian (even if I currently live on the land of the Lenape in The People's Republic of Brooklyn, NY). I have never, however, ridden an elephant, a camel, or a zebra. Nor do I intend to.

My life has led me along many paths. I've been a special events planner, a typist, an au pair, and an ice rink employee. I've danced in ballets, sang in an opera, and sold tap shoes. I've made deli sandwiches, served meals, and cleaned tables. More recently, I worked for and with the United Nations systems for more than twenty years on HIV and AIDS. Since 2017, though, I've been focused on teaching and I count my blessing each and every day for this opportunity to work with these amazing young people.

• Adjunct for LaGuardia Community College/CUNY for College Now. I teach English composition and critical reading to high school students taking college classes early. They are amazing!
• HIV/AIDS Advisor for the Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
• Public Health/HIV Consultant for ASAP - Civil Society Engagement on HIV in Lomé, Togo.
• Technical Writer for UNICEF (remote).
• Managing Editor for (now defunct) online/digital Travel Magazine, Travelati.
• Tryptic Editor (briefly) for Panorama: The Journal of Intelligent Travel.
• Freelance Writer.
• HIV in the Workplace Program Manager for UNICEF (globally) and UN Cares Regional Coordinator (Middle East and North Africa).
• Freelance public health consultant focusing on HIV.
• First openly HIV+ employee of UNAIDS (1996) where I served as their original NGO Liaison Officer.