Artist Statement

Being a human is such a short (and long!), strange (and normal!) experience; artists hope to translate it, which is a sort of silly and stubborn thing to do. In my own silly and stubborn work, I pay careful attention to nature, humor, and humanness. I’m a writer and a drawer and a painter, and I intentionally intersect the visual with the verbal. My hope is to experiment with the ways our brains use language — in all its many iterations — to interpret life on earth.

CV

Professional Summary

I am an experienced writer, journalist, cartoonist, and teacher, currently working at The New Yorker Magazine, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and The Chicago High School for the Arts. My core values are curiosity, truth-telling, and compassion. I have a wide range of skills and experiences, from producing fast-paced content-driven journalism to engaging the drawn-out process of writing and putting out a book with a major publishing company. I have over a decade of teaching experience, and I specialize in working with students with exceptional needs. Pedagogically, I am interested and practiced in trauma-informed practices, behavioral intervention, and intentional anti-racism. I meet my students where they are to develop their individual voices and nurture their academic investment. I am also an internationally recognized illustrator and artist with an emphasis on watercolor and drawing.


Education

 

SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, 2015 - 2017

Masters’ of Fine Arts in Writing

 

PRACTITIONER TEACHERS PROJECT, 2008 - 2009

Louisiana State Teaching Certificate, Advanced

 Certification is advanced upon five years of full-time teaching.

 

WHITMAN COLLEGE, 2004 - 2008

Bachelor of Arts in English Creative Writing, Minors in Studio Art

B.A. English achieved Spring 2008

Cumulative GPA: 3.6; Major GPA: 3.8; Honors in English Creative Writing

Teaching Experience

School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2016-present

Lecturer (Liberal Arts), 2022-present

  • Designs syllabus, crafts instructional plan, and lead-teaches 3-hour foundational classes.

Lecturer (Academic Access Program), 2017-present

  • Designs syllabus, crafts instructional plan, and lead-teaches 3-hour analytical art analysis classes.

TA-A (Lead Lecturer/ Professor), 2016

  • Independently designed a syllabus for a freshman writing course on the subject of mental health in traditional and graphic literature. Assigned projects and papers, designed classes, independently taught 3-hour classes once per week, and graded all course work.

The Chicago High School for the Arts, 2017-present

Writing Teacher (Journalism, Podcasting, Creative Writing), 2017-present

  • Designs syllabus and lesson plans for high school seniors in the subject areas of journalism, podcast writing, and advanced creative writing. Lead-teaches 3-hour classes for students at Chicago’s only art conservatory public high school.

  • Builds and maintains the web-based student newspaper, and edited and produced the student-directed podcast (now-defunct, as of 2021) for the Chicago High School for the Arts.

Restorative Justice Consultant, 2017.

  • Has worked closely with the school’s leadership to develop and implement trauma-informed practices in the classroom and whole school setting. Draws on hundreds of hours of training from the Center for Restorative Approaches in New Orleans to provide individually tailored restorative justice-focused professional development for other teachers and staff.

Country Day Creative Arts, summer 2015

Instructor

  • Designed syllabi and taught four units of creative writing and bookmaking for students ages 9-15.

 

KidsmART, 2013-2015

Teaching Artist

  • Taught arts-integrated social emotional lessons to students with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Emotional Disturbances, from grades 4 through 12.

  • Developed “With Feeling: Emotional Intelligence Through The Arts,” a free arts-integrated social emotional curriculum available through KidsmART.

  • Collaborated with KidsMART as a general education Axis teacher for five years.

 

Kennedy Center, 2014-2016

Workshop Presenter

  • Designed workshops for educators in the Washington, DC area and presented on the subject of visual arts and emotional literacy integration.

 

VSA, 2014-2016

Webinar Leader

  • Designed webinars for educators nationwide and presents them on the subject of visual arts and emotional literacy integration.

 

Langston Hughes Academy, 2009-2013

Emotional Literacy/ Arts Integration Specialist, 2011-2013

  • Taught a self-contained classroom of children with emotional disturbance; lead weekly pull-out sessions for students with behavioral difficulties in visual arts and emotional literacy.

Special Education Coordinator, K-4, 2011-2013

  • Managed three teachers; led professional development workshops on special education; managed Individual Education Plans for students with special needs; taught 12 small intervention groups; represented school for the FirstLine Schools Network; developed behavior intervention plans; conducted a variety of meetings for students’ families.

First Grade Teacher, 2010-2011

  • Worked as lead teacher in a first grade general education setting.

Special Education Second Grade Inclusion Teacher, 2009-2010

  • Worked as a special education teacher in a second grade inclusion setting.

  

Rabouin High School,  2008-2009

Special Education Coordinator, 10-12

  • Worked as a Special Education teacher and chairperson in inclusion, self-contained, and resource settings in a 10th, 11th, and 12th grade high school in the Recovery School District.

 

Teach for America Summer Institute, 2008

First Grade Teacher, Phoenix, Arizona

Awards and Recognitions

Medium Writer’s Challenge Semi Finalist, 2021

LAMDA Literary Awards Nominee, Best Bisexual Nonfiction, 2018

Bisexual Book Awards Winner, Best Nonfiction Book; Best Memoir, 2018

Associated Collegiate Press Reporter of the Year, 2017

First place in nationwide journalism contest  

Annual MFAW Writing Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2017

Stipend awarded annually for outstanding writing to two graduating students in the MFAW program

Annual MFAW Teaching Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2017

Stipend and teaching position awarded annually to one graduating student in the MFAW program

Outstanding Leadership Award from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2017

Monetary award for service and leadership for graduating students

First Place for Best Alternative Story Design from MSUND Design Contest, 2017

Second Place for Best Editorial Cartoon from the Illinois College Press Association, 2017

First Place for Best Arts Criticism from the Illinois College Press Association, 2016

Recipient of the Dean’s Scholarship at SAIC for MFAW Program, 2015

Winner of Hippocampus Magazine’s Creative Nonfiction Contest, 2014

Recipient of Institute of Mental Hygiene Annual Grant, with KidsmART, 2013, 2014

Received a grant to develop social emotional curriculum for students in New Orleans

Recipient of New Orleans Jazz Institute Grant, 2013

For commitment to live music at Shipwrecked! Storytelling show

Nominee for Sue Lehmann Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2010

Distinction and Honors on English major at Whitman College, 2008

Completed an Honors’ Thesis for creative writing and poetry in homage to Walt Whitman

Award Recipient for Whitman College Honor of the Wailaptu, 2008

Winner of Hosokawa Award in Journalism, 2006 and 2007

Won two $500 awards in 2006: Best News Reporting and Best Opinion Writing. Won one $500 award in 2007: Best Opinion Writing.

Recipient of the Whitman College Anderson Scholarship, 2004

Writing, Journalism, and the Arts

Featured Substack Newsletter Creator, 2021 - present

  • “You Are Doing A Good Enough Job” has been featured in several publications, and has thousands of subscribers, as well as hundreds of paid subscribers.

New Yorker Staff Cartoonist, 2020 - present

Office of Modern Composition, 2018 - present

Founding Member

  • Leads workshops, advises book composition, manages website.

F Newsmagazine, 2015-2017

Managing Editor, 2016-2017

  • Managed award-winning student-run newsmagazine at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Web Editor, 2015-2016 

Neutrons Protons Magazine, 2012-2017

Founder, editor-in-chief, workshop leader

  • Designed all original artwork, solicited comic work, and edited all creative writing for online literary magazine and blog. Directed a staff of six to manage a successful online website and a small-run print magazine.

  • Designed curriculum and taught creative writing workshops for adults at Big Class in New Orleans on the subject of Creative Nonfiction.

The Chicagoist, 2016-2017

Reporter

  • Produced up to eight articles per day for popular Chicago-based news and culture website.

Illustrator, visual watercolor artist

  • Illustrates for many mainstream publications, including The Guardian, VICE, Jezebel, and others.

New Movement Theater, 2011-2015

Performer, producer, social media director

 The Nation Magazine, summer 2007

Intern

Publication Selections

SAIC Magazine, 2021: “The Bravery of Sanford Biggers”

The New York Times, 2020: “Can A Book Capture the Magic of Birding?”

The New Yorker, 2020: “The Existential Musings of My Rustic Sourdough Starter”

The Chicago Reader, 2019: “Behold The Magnificent Pigeon”

The New York Times, 2018: Telling My Fiancé About My New Girlfriend”

The Believer, 2018: “Avian Behavior”

Bon Appetit, 2018: "Love Is Like A Sourdough Starter: It Can Last Forever Or Get Super Smelly And Weird"

Bon Appetit, 2018: "Here's to Hubigs: The New Orleans Bakery That Might Never Return"

SpiralBound, 2017: "The Crying Chronicles"

Full Database of Articles.

Academic Journalism

Whitman College Pioneer, 2005-2008

Editor-in-chief

The Walla Walla Union Bulletin, 2007-2008

Staff writer

The Hyde Park Herald, 2006

Intern

Wilson High School Statesman, 2000-2004

Multiple editorial

Relevant Activities

Co-founder, producer, Shipwrecked!

Co-created popular New Orleans-specific storytelling show and podcast.

Founding member and web designer for The New Teachers’ Roundtable, New Orleans

Participated in formal discussions and activism surrounding the teaching community in New Orleans.

Volunteer work

Rogers Park Community Outreach. Past projects include work for Survivor’s Village, The United Teachers of New Orleans, Habitat for Humanity, and the New Orleans Childcare Collective.

Langston Hughes Academy DIBELS mentor and coordinator school-wide

Co-founder and co-facilitator for Troupe 947 Adventure Krewe

College extracurricular

President of Action for Animals; Vice President of Whitman Peace Coalition; member of Black Student Union. Actor in several school-wide theatrical productions.

Skills

Social Media

  • Instagram: 30K followers

  • Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Medium, Snapchat: Active and proficient

Technical

  • Adobe Cloud including Photoshop, InDesign, Soundtrack, and AfterEffects; Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint; Content Management Systems including Wordpress; extensive podcast production experience

Design

  • Extensive experience with book, magazine, and broadside layout in multiple design platforms; working understanding of publication resources; basic graphic design knowledge with experience creating posters and ad banners

Musical

  • Instruments: piano, accordion, harmonica, voice

  • Recording experience and sound editing fluency; advanced musical literacy and sheet music proficiency

Languages

  • English (fluent), Japanese (basic)

Restorative Justice

  • Over 100 hours of training with the Center for Restorative Approaches

Miscellaneous

  • Basic sewing skills and professional fabric design; experience with offset, risograph, and screen printing; basic carpentry; piano tuning; food handler’s license with semi-professional cooking and baking experience