I am a memoirist, poet, choreographer, & teacher who writes at the intersections of feminism, spirituality & world religions.
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I am drawn to the physicality of language—how it moves like the body in dance. From 1998-2009, I directed Chicago’s award-winning Danza Viva Center for World Dance, Art & Music and its resident dance company, One World Dance Theater. My work in Latin and Afro Cuban dance has taken me to Cuba and South America to collaborate with native artists, been featured in Latina Magazine, Chicago Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune, spotlighted on Fox and ABC News, and has served as inspiration for much of my writing.
My essays, poems and short stories have been published in places like The Missouri Review, The Southern Review, CRAFT Literary, Lit Hub, The Cincinnati Review, Parabola, Writer's Digest, and The Pinch.
My memoir, My Mother in Havana: A Memoir of Magic & Miracle tells the story of a daughter whose search for her mother--30 years after her death--brings her face to face with the gods & ghosts & saints of Cuba.​​
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Spanish is my second language and I spend as much time as I can exploring this vast world of ours. Born in Litchfield, Illinois, & raised in St. Louis and Chicago, I currently divide my time between San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and Delaware, Ohio with my husband Rick, our cat Bodhi, and a revolving carousel of birds who nest in our terrace and eaves.
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My memoir, My Mother in Havana (Monkfish Books/2025) explores the memory of my mother through a larger template of “the mother”—a maternal, feminine presence I find in Cuba’s Catholic and African spiritual traditions. My Mother in Havana is a 2025 American Book Fest's Best Book Award finalist in memoir & has received support from The Ohio State University and fellowships from the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the Ragdale Foundation, Playa, the Hambidge Center, and Brush Creek Foundation.​
