I am the mother of a soon-to-be kindergartener. Oh, and I am also a writer who owns two lovely shelter dogs named Teddy and Jenny whom I consider my familiars. And finally, I live in the People’s Republic of Emanuel also known as Chicago.
I created this blog to share my thoughts on issues related to art; freedom of expression; writing; women, gender, and civil rights; motherhood and parenting; disability and wellness (I live with multiple sclerosis); and higher education, specifically topics directly related to adjunct teaching.. In addition, I plan to share exercises related to writing that anyone can apply either to their own writing or life.
My fiction and non-fiction have appeared in Fifth Wednesday Journal, Women’s Media Center, The Antigonish Review, ACM (Another Chicago Magazine), Chicago Review, ROOM, JEF (Journal of Experimental Fiction), The Times of Northwest Indiana, Facts on File Companion to the American Novel, Time (as a college intern without a byline), others. Samples of my writing as well as my teaching can be accessed here in my online portfolio.
Awards and honors include Mary Roberts Rinehart Award for National Fiction, Third Prize in Playboy’s College Fiction Contest, the Ludwig Goldstein Fellowship, Illinois Arts Council Literary Award nomination. In 2013 I won a Women of Spirit and Action Award by DePaul Women’s Network.
Works in progress include my first novel and first short story collection.
In addition to my writing, I serve as an assistant editor for Narrative magazine, teach as an adjunct instructor at DePaul University, and tutor writing at Wilbur Wright College’s Writing Center.
hecate's hangout 