Following my UCSC graduation, I worked for two years as a Teacher’s Aid at Santa Cruz Highschool. The students with whom I worked had learning disabilities, and reaffirmed for me my own wishes to teach. In 1980, I entered the MFA Program in English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Living and studying on the East Coast was wonderful for me, almost as exotic as living in another country.

In 1983 I returned to California and began teaching on a part-time basis at San Jose State University. I remained there for fourteen years while simultaneously teaching at a number of other schools including Santa Clara University, Ever Green Valley College, and San Jose Business Institute/Intel University. I began teaching full-time at West Valley College in the fall of 1997.

OTHER INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES

I sing and play the flute although it’s been more than 25 years now since I’ve received any formal instruction. I am classically trained, and so for the flute anyway, I am partial to Bach. My true musical love, however, is jazz. In terms of vocalists, I like Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Nina Simone, Raberta Hunter, Betty Carter, and Cassandra Wilson, -especially her recent tribute to Miles Davis. I love the Bay Area based, guitar and vocal duo Tuck and Patty. Hubert Laws is my favorite jazz flutist. I listen to much R and B and fusion work too. I enjoy setting patterned verse and free verse poetry to music, although I’m definitely a novice.

Ornithology: I love bird company, and identify most North American species by sound. I track people’s birthdays and other auspicious events according to bird cosmology. –My friend Roxanne moved to Idaho in Late April. I am sure of this because the white crowned sparrows were singing in her sycamore tree as I helped her pack. -

My husband Marty and I enjoy camping. Our two favorite places are the Thousand Trails Park in San Bonito near Holister, and a place in the Sierra foothills called Lake of the Springs. Marty and I share our home with Kelsey, a 12-year-old retired guide dog yellow Labrador retriever, Jonca, my current working black lab guide dog, Mr. Higgins, our cockatoo, Apples, our cockatiel, and several assorted and nameless fish. Actually it is these animals that share their home with us, for they, not we, determine life’s rhythms. –Can you imagine sharing a camper with two dogs and a cockatoo? It happens.

BLESSINGS

My life is made undeservedly rich by my husband Marty, whose wisdom, sensitivity, and humor guide all of my days. Marty and I are grateful for living parents, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces. We treasure our friends as well, and only regret not making enough time for their company. To date, even good health has been abundant.

EDUCATION

MFA in English and Creative Writing, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1983.

BA in Literature (Creative Writing) University of California at Santa Cruz, 1978.

COURSES TAUGHT

English 1A: Expository Writing with a Women’s Studies emphasis
English 1A: Expository Writing with an American Studies Emphasis
English 1B: Writing About Literature
English 7A: Survey of American Literature From The Exploration Period To The Mid Nineteenth Century
English 7B: Survey of American Literature from the Civil War to Present Times
English 70A and 70B: Introduction to Creative Writing

COURSES CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED

English 1C: Critical Writing and Thinking with a California Issues Emphasis
English 1C: Critical Writing and Thinking with Feminist and Environmental Emphasis

The aforementioned courses are those that I teach here at West Valley College. Prior to my arrival here at Wvc, I also worked at San Jose State University where I occasionally taught such courses as The American Novel, Contemporary Fiction, Career Writing, Technical Writing, Advanced Composition, Expository Writing with a Correlation of The Arts emphasis, and Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop.

OTHER ACADEMIC INTERESTS:

Poetry publications, publication of student anthologies, E journals and other publications, Feminist Scholarship and criticism, Reader Response criticism, Environmental Ethics and Scholarship, Disability Studies, Adaptive Technology for Disabled Persons, Music.

ORGANIZATIONAL AFILIATIONS

I am a graduate of both the San Jose Area Writing Project, and Community Leadership San Jose.