Bio
Courses I am teaching:
HON 1210: Loud and Proud: Spoken Word & Performance Poetry
ENGL 3020: Business Communication
ENGL 3140: Technical Communication
ENGL 3050: Nonfiction Writing
ENGL 3160: Poetry Writing
ENGL 5560: Graduate Poetry Writing Workshop
Degrees:
MFA Creative Writing, Poetry, New York University
ESL Teaching Certification, University of Houston
BA English, University of Iowa
About my teaching:
The goal of all writing is to connect with readers. Whether it’s Technical Writing or Poetry Writing, my goal as an instructor is to help students to feel confident in when they engage in that interpersonal process.
How I came to teach what I teach:
To support my poetry habit, I have worked in communications for over twenty years—from concept development to writing to graphic design. My areas of expertise include education, human resources, healthcare, non-profit, education, retail, events, and food ingredients. My professional experience has shown me the importance of placing the reader’s needs and expectations first. This skill has deeply enriched my creative writing as well as my teaching.
Recent publications:
Books
Crushing It. Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press, 2020.
Days of Shame and Failure. New York: Bloof Books, 2015.
The Mystery of the Hidden Driveway. New York: Bloof Books, 2010.
Wir Fürchten Uns: Jennifer L. Knox. Wiesbaden, Germany: Lux Books, 2008.
Drunk By Noon. New York: Bloof Books, 2007.
A Gringo Like Me. 1st Edition: New York: Soft Skull Press, 2005; 2nd Edition: Bloof Books, 2007.
Chapbooks
A Bloof Sampler. New York: Bloof Books, 2012.
Poets off Poetry. New York: Coldfront Magazine, 2011.
Holliday. Washington, D.C.: Big Game Books, 2007.
Anthologies
Brooklyn Poets Anthology, Brooklyn Arts Press, 2017.
Misrepresented People: Poetic Responses to Trump’s America. NYQ Books, 2017.
An Anthology of Contemporary American Poets Translated into Spanish. Valparaiso, Mexico, 2017.
Humor: A Reader for Writers. Oxford University Press, 2015.
An Introduction to Creative Writing. Bridgepoint Education, 2015.
Poems
Ploughshares (2020). “Abby, the Comedian,” “The Window Pointed at the Mirror.”
Bennington Review (2019). “Marilyn, Every Day We Wonder.”
Berfrois online (2019). “Irwin Allen vs The Lion Tamer.”
Bergrois print (2019). “The New IQ Test,” “Today on ‘Untamed Iowa,’ Them’s Some Big Gall Heavers!”
Granta (2019). “Full House,” “My Mother Visits Me in Prison.”
Kenyon Review (2019). “Finding a Drawer Full of Drivers’ Licenses.”
Ploughshares print (2019). “The Gift.”
Entropy Mag (2018). “The Parakeet Has Nightmares.”
Hysterical Rag (2018). “Facelift,” “The Rabies Song,” “Totally Disgusting.”
Limestone Review (2018). “The ‘She’ Is Herself,” “Meeting Myron Floren.”
Mississippi Review (2018). “Joy,” “The Day After the Fair.”
Nomadic Press (2018). “Adult Coloring Books,” “Ode to Your Hyper-Vigilance,” “The Passion of the Pollinators.”
American Poetry Review (2017). “Wolverine Season,” “You Look At the Window.”
Berfrois (2017). “Our Friends Above the Equator.”
Bennington Review (2017). “Abby Got Out.”
Indolent Books.com (2017). “A Polite Request.”
The Inquisitive Eater, a Publication of the New School Food (2017). “Field Guide Acknowledgements,” “The Visitors,” “Yogjakarta.”
The Journal (2017). “Hero.”
Love’s Executive Order (2017). “The Fat-shaming Polka.”
Open Letters Monthly (2017). “Poetry Everywhere.”
Plume (2017). “It’s Not Your Fault.”
Spork (2017). “California Hobo Insurance,” “Huey P. Long versus Jack London,” “King Country,” “Oh, Those Nutty Zaggers,” “Zone 9: All the Village Idiots.”
TriQuarterly Review (2017). “Charlie Vestal’s Funeral.”
Typo (2017). “Mushrooms,” “Pliny the Elder’s Before Dawn Song,” “This Is Dedicated to The One I Love.”
The Academy of American Poets’ State Parks Project (2016). “The Effigy Mounds.”
Conduit (2016). “Immutable,” “The Stendahl-Santa Syndrome.”
Fence Magazine (2016): “Nazi Art.”
The Journal (2016). “Date Night in Story City,” “The Killer,” “The New ‘Let’s Make a Deal.’”
Jubilat (2016). “In the Palace Full of Passed-out People,” “Monochrome Rainbows.”
Lumina (2016). “Closing the TED Talk.”
Lunch: Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (2016). “Love Theme from Con Air.”
The NYC Greenmarket Poetry Series (2016). “Long Live the Queen.”
Pinwheel (2016). “The 2015 NCAA Women’s Bowling Championship.”
Ploughshares (2016). “Babies & Bagpipes.”
Plume (2016). “Don’t Pet Me! I’m Working!” “It’s Not Your Fault,” “The Time Travels of Now.”
Poem-A-Day for The Academy of American Poets (2016). “Name That Tune.”
Poem in Which, UK (2016). “No Mono No Aware, I Mean Bitch Better Have My Money.”
Poetry Crush (2016). “Shock Collars.”
Portside (2016). “Auld Lang Syne.”
Proletariat Poetry, UK (2016). “Drones.”
Toad (2016). “Endless Wonders,” “These Happy Golden Days.”
Today’s Poem, Canada (2016). “Impulsive Grooming Syndrome.”
Verse Daily (2016). “Nazi Art.”
Zocalo Public Square (2016). “Song of the Humming Drummlin.”
Nonfiction
The Washington Post, (2018). “Working Feelings into the Poetry Syllabus.”
American Poetry Review, (2018). “Crowdsourcing Iowa Bird of Mouth.”
The Inquisitive Eater, a Publication of the New School Food, (2017). “Mycophiles.”
Magma, UK (2016). “Women, Poetry, Humor & Authority.”
The Mycophile—The Newsletter for the North American Mycological Association, (2016). “New Tastes for Mushrooms In Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty .” Co-author, Barbara Ching.
Indolent Books: Writers on Writing series (2016). “Humor, Poetry & Privilege.”
NationalPoetryMonth.com (2016). “On Poetry.”
The Mycophile—The Newsletter for the North American Mycological Association (2015). “A Review of The Wild Mushroom Cookbook: Recipes From Mendocino.” Co-author, Barbara Ching.
Sundance TV (2015). “Watch the Book: Great Movies About Poets And Poetry.”
The Mycophile—The Newsletter for the North American Mycological Association (2015). “A Review of Rebecca Selengut’s Shroom.” Co-author, Barbara Ching.
Essays
The Inquisitive Eater, a Publication of the New School Food (2017). “Mycophiles.”
Magma, UK (2016). “Women, Poetry, Humor & Authority.”
Indolent Books: Writers on Writing series (2016). “Humor, Poetry & Privilege.”
NationalPoetryMonth.com (2016). “On Poetry.”
Sundance TV.com (2015). “Watch the Book: Great Movies About Poets And Poetry.”
Painted Bride Quarterly (2015). “The Bubble.”
Outside of the university…
In 2016, I was named an Iowa Arts Council Fellow for my environmental crowd-sourced poetry project, Iowa Bird of Mouth, which ended in August 31, 2017. Over 800+ people of all ages from around the world contributed to twelve poems honoring Iowa birds. I’m currently researching opportunities to collaborate with visual artists and musicians using this incredible wealth of open source text.
Along with writing, my husband and I own and operate an artisanal seasoning company called Saltlickers. It combines my love of cooking with my experience in branding and marketing. Our flavors are our own recipes, and we grow many of the ingredients in our garden. All our blends are homemade and free from preservatives, silicone dioxide, MSG and dairy. Our best seller is Cy Salt (go, ‘Clones!).
We also love exploring national parks, hiking, canoeing, and hunting mushrooms.