Teaching
I have been teaching and developing curricula, workshops, and programming for the past 14 years. Topics have included creative writing, the school to prison pipeline, gender-based violence, and the prison industrial complex. I have worked with universities, public schools, nonprofits, and community programs. Some of these groups include the Osborne Association for young people with incarcerated parents, Teens Pact (a youth program focused on sex education), the Center for Anti-violence (a youth program focused on gender-based violence), and Neighbors in Action (part of Center for Justice Innovation) where I served as the Youth Organizing Coordinator for young people exposed to gun violence. Through this latter role, my work has often culminated in youth-led creative projects such as zines, photography, and short films.
My teaching is strengths-based, anti-oppressive, and holistic. Book me to lead workshops, develop curricula, or student projects around creativity, healing, and social justice.
Pricing varies depending on the scope of your project amongst other variables. Contact me to get a quote.
Creative Coaching
Have you always wanted to write that novel, but when you sit down to write, your inner critic starts to take over? Have you ever felt like giving up after not getting that call-back or that last rejection letter?
I offer one on one creative coaching for those who feel stuck in their creative careers or with completing creative projects. Coaching can be useful for those who have been working in the professional art field for years or for those who are just considering trying it out.
As a published author, I understand the specific struggles artists face and have firsthand experience in how to persevere and find success as well as joy through art. As a licensed therapist, I am able to delve into the underlying issues that artists face such as struggles with self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-defeat. Though these sessions should not be used as substitutes for therapy, I do integrate therapeutic tools that have been shown to help when these feelings come up such as mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy, expressive arts therapy, and somatic experiencing. I also have both personal and professional experience in addressing the systemic challenges that face artists of color, LGBTQ+ artists, and financially struggling artists.
Together, we can tap into those parts of your imagination that once made art-making fun outside of critiques and professionalism in order to push through feelings of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and “stuckness.” We will collaborate to create concrete next steps and ways forward depending on your specific needs.
I also provide manuscript excerpt feedback for an additional fee. Pricing for my services are below.
- One 60-minute coaching session ($200)
- Three 60-minute session bundle ($550: save $50!)
- Six 60-minute session bundle ($1200: save $100!)
- 60-minute Coaching Session + 30-minute Manuscript Excerpt Review ($500). I will review up to 20 pages of your manuscript or short piece that we will discuss in our 90 minute session. I will provide big picture feedback and give you a chance to ask any questions before we go into our regular coaching session. We can also discuss possible placements for publication and next steps.
- Coaching Session + Agent Query Letter + Manuscript Excerpt Review ($600): I will review up to 20 pages of your manuscript in addition to your agent query letter that we will discuss in our 90 minute session. I will provide feedback on your manuscript and agent query letter and give you a chance to ask any questions before we go into our regular coaching session. We can also discuss possible placements for publication and next steps in finding the right agent for you.
- Coaching Session + MFA Application Materials Review ($750): I will review up to 30 pages of your writing sample in addition to your personal statement (if applicable). We will discuss both in our 90 minute session as well as ideas for finding the best MFA program for you.
Anti-Oppression Trainings and Speaking Engagements
I am the co-founder of Healing Roots, a diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) consulting agency focused on healing from racial trauma, conflict de-escalation, understanding power and privilege, and transformative justice. My co-founder and I lead trainings, webinars, workshops, affinity groups, transformative justice circles and coaching sessions to collaboratively create solutions for interpersonal and structural conflict in the workplace.
Throughout my career I have led workshops, community forums, and trainings for attorneys, prosecutors, judges, and social service providers.
Topics have included Alternative to 911 forums, identifying criminalized survivors, conducting trauma informed assessments, dismantling racism in the workplace, healing from racial trauma, using writing to heal from trauma, and addressing the harms of gentrification.
Below are some of the organizations I have worked with:
- New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV)
- Hunter’s College of Nursing
- Center for Justice Innovation
- Legal Aid Society
- 18B Panel of Attorneys
- Human Trafficking Intervention Courts
- The Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence
- NYC Department of Youth and Community Development
- Virginia Association of Teachers of English
- CAMBA Legal Services