In the backyard of the house where I raised my kids, there was a 30-year-old orange tree that gave us as many oranges as we could eat and fresh juice every morning all winter. It was also a kid’s dream climbing tree—strong, many-forked branches all the way up. As a parent, I wasn’t much of a disciplinarian: when the kids needed a time-out, I told them to climb up in the orange tree. And that’s what writing has been for me. It’s my climb in the orange tree, the place I go to find out what I don’t know I know (I nod, here, to Montaigne, the 16^th-century essayist, whose maxim was What do I know?). For me, discovery is at the core of the writing project. And discovery only happens when you, the writer, get out of the way and let the language, the images, the characters, the world, the form of the piece of writing do the work.

My background: I have been “out” as a writer for more than 15 years and in that time have done a lot of different kinds of writing, everything from short stories and essays to journalism, book reviews, academic articles, and grants. Currently, my big project is revising my novel, Grief Meridian. Along the way, I’ve earned an MFA from Vermont College and PhD from Ohio University; I’ve taught undergraduate creative writing, composition and literature, as well as community ed writing courses. Both as a teacher and as a private consultant, I’ve honed my editing instincts and skills.

I live in Wabasha, Minnesota, with my husband Steve and our border collie.

Currently, I teach creative writing at St Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.