Two Worlds
I’m a writer working on my first novel, currently somewhere in the first/second draft stage. I’m also an avid reader across genres, and an EFL teacher in Turin, Italy. Most of my students are pursuing degrees at the University of Turin, including incarcerated students here and in neighboring Saluzzo. I split my time between Turin and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and you can often find me hauling suitcases stuffed full of books rather than clothes between those two destinations. I love interacting with other writers and readers!
Making it Up as I Go
I’m a relative newcomer to creative writing so a lot of times I feel like I’m flailing. I’ve heard this is common, even for experienced professional writers, so I’m trying not to be too hard on myself. I get a running start, amped up, ready to do a victory dance, but often find myself slogging through the mud. I’m starting to like the mud. I’m trying my hand at different things, from flash fiction to long-form. One of these days I’ll finish the draft of my novel, which I started in 2020. It features a cast of diverse characters but the main character is Roberto, a young ace makeup artist.
Lemons to Lemonade
Being in total lockdown for several weeks at the beginning of March 2020, the kind of lockdown where we couldn’t even leave our apartment, shook a lot of things up, or loose, depending on how you look at it. I tend to be an optimist, forever carrying around a glass that is half full, and one of my “pandemic positives” is that I was able to start participating in virtual writing classes and events which weren’t available prior to the arrival of Covid (and Zoom) on the scene.
What I Love
Reading, which has almost always been a passion of mine (except after law school, which did a good job of killing, for several years, any wish to read). Writing, which sometimes comes naturally. Promoting a love of reading, including through the support of causes that foster literacy, like Donors Choose and First Book. Learning languages. Italian became my obsession after I got into cycling in middle school but now I’m focusing on Polish. One day I’ll be able to have a conversation with my mother-in-law that doesn’t involve my husband as the interpreter. Musicals, both on screen and at the theater. Concerts but not huge festivals. Films, when I can find time to sit down and watch a whole movie. Travel where I can set up home base somewhere and hang out for a while, getting to know the place and people.
What I Hope
To connect with other readers, writers, and creative people. To share my experiences as I muddle through the first draft of my novel (and then the second, third, fourth, and nth). To help others who might be in the same boat. To encourage dialogue through my Doorstoppers Epic Reads Book Club. To share what it’s like living as an expat. To have fun along the way!
I support PEN America and PEN International. It’s not always about sending money (although that can certainly help). You can find ways to support freedom of expression around the world by clicking here.
On the getting-books-into-kids’-hands side, I support the efforts of Donors Choose and First Book. If you’re reading this page, you had people in your life who loved reading and who helped instill that love of reading in you. Thanks to organizations like these, children who might not otherwise have access to books or literacy services can also experience the joy of reading.
Photo by Daniel Quat