The arts have been a strong part of my life since I saw my first play at age 3. With two book-loving parents, it was easy to acquire a love of reading, especially stories and poetry. A love of writing soon followed. Since college, I have written poetry and short fiction, which has been published in numerous literary magazines. My poetry chapbook was published through the University of Alaska-Fairbanks’ Midnight Sun Contest.

I started my freelance career 20+ years ago, first as a proofreader, then editor, before writing for small businesses’ newsletters and websites. I soon gravitated toward educational publishing and assessment as the primary means of using my writing abilities, with the added hope of placing engaging poems, stories, and articles before kids. In addition to educational publishing clients, I also write book reviews (fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry) for Booklist and have worked as a literary magazine editor and creative writing and poetry teacher. This year, I even added a gig as a website administrator to my resume.

My experience writing ELA passages and items for assessments, as well as passage finding, includes working with the following companies: Educational Testing Service (ETS), Data Recognition Corporation, WestEd, Riverside Publishing, Holt McDougal, American Institutes of Research, NWEA, and Glencoe (McGraw-Hill). I met Hilary and Val (separately at first) early on in my freelance career, and I am incredibly honored and grateful to still be working with them and attempting to produce the best content possible for their clients.