I was born near Washington, D.C. to a father who worked in psychological warfare for the CIA.

In my first 10 years of life, my family and I tagged along with him to Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. I’ve done extensive writing on our family’s Vietnam experiences and you can read the short version in The Fight to Write, What Vietnam Taught Me About Truth and Writing.

I spent the years between and 10-34 living mostly in Hawaii; paddling outrigger canoes when I could, surfing when I couldn’t.

I earned a Journalism degree at a small school in Southern California and took semesters abroad to England (where I met my future husband) and China (where I married him). My children were born in Hawaii and raised there for enough years to get tans without lines and we moved to Upstate New York in 2000. I found both journalism and marriage too constricting and went into fiction, memoir, and singular living.
Accordingly, I’ve earned an MFA in Creative Writing as well as a reputation for being hard to get.

I love all manner of arts, writing, outdoor education, teaching, and public speaking, but, ultimately, I always find myself longing to be on the water, kayaking under clear skies or cloudy. Do you kayak? You really should try it. Of all the things I’ve done in this wild and precious life of mine, it’s what gives me the most peace and pleasure.

I hope to see you out there.