Artist Statement
I write creative nonfiction that explores Texas culture, primarily the complexities of women’s changing roles, the pressures of racial equality, religious tolerance, and the hard-scrabble experiences of growing up.
As a fresh out-of-college budding journalist, I was told by a Houston Chronicle editor to avoid being pedantic in my writing. In truth, I had to look up the definition to understand he was warning against being preachy. I learned quickly to write about universal themes that delve into the relationships between people and places without being pedantic. I grew up reading the newspaper columns of the late Leon Hale and learned from his legendary example how to write simply, plainly, and fiercely about Texas and her people
My essays and short memoirs are published in various literary journals, in The Story Mandala: Finding Wholeness in a Divided World (Prose Press, 2018), and Real Women Write: Living on COVID Time (Story Circle Network, 2020).
My current project is developing a full-length memoir that examines my life as a Catholic white female growing up in East Texas during the 1950s and 60s. Right now, I am in the messiness of writing the first draft. My hope is to use the essay form to piece together the fragments of memory for a coming-of-age memoir that is both refreshing and engaging. I want to strengthen my writing skills so that reading between the lines gives the audience a heightened sense of understanding. As Elizabeth Browning writes, I want to tell my stories slant.
As a fresh out-of-college budding journalist, I was told by a Houston Chronicle editor to avoid being pedantic in my writing. In truth, I had to look up the definition to understand he was warning against being preachy. I learned quickly to write about universal themes that delve into the relationships between people and places without being pedantic. I grew up reading the newspaper columns of the late Leon Hale and learned from his legendary example how to write simply, plainly, and fiercely about Texas and her people
My essays and short memoirs are published in various literary journals, in The Story Mandala: Finding Wholeness in a Divided World (Prose Press, 2018), and Real Women Write: Living on COVID Time (Story Circle Network, 2020).
My current project is developing a full-length memoir that examines my life as a Catholic white female growing up in East Texas during the 1950s and 60s. Right now, I am in the messiness of writing the first draft. My hope is to use the essay form to piece together the fragments of memory for a coming-of-age memoir that is both refreshing and engaging. I want to strengthen my writing skills so that reading between the lines gives the audience a heightened sense of understanding. As Elizabeth Browning writes, I want to tell my stories slant.
