I was a janitor who wrote poems late at night when I first heard that term, "word processing," while emptying trash in a large law firm on the 48th floor of the I.D.S. building in Minneapolis. It absolutely made my blood run cold. It sounded like something Satan had planned.  Words should never be "processed." Words should be admired, carressed, and respected. They are power. Ask anyone who didn't speak English when they moved here.  

I was recently asked to coordinate and encourage bloggers for the Mission Viejo Patch.  I have a long history of writing, and of teaching writing. My first teaching job was in a group home that was helping girls between the ages of 12 and 16 get out of prostitution. I've taught at several of the community colleges in L.A. and Orange Counties and at The University of California, Irvine.

I have a Masters of Fine Arts in English, with an emphasis on Fiction Writing, from UCI. 

If you'd like to start blogging for the Mission Viejo Patch please contact me.  If you're stuck on something you're writing, please contact me.