About Me

I earned a BA in Literature from Francis Marion University (FMU) and an MFA in Creative Writing from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (SIUC), where I also taught Composition 101 and 102 as a TA (teaching assistant). After leaving graduate school, I earned my teaching credentials through South Carolina’s Program for Alternative Certification in Education (PACE). My first two years of public school teaching were at Hillcrest Middle School in Dalzell, SC, part of the Sumter School District. From there I moved to the Columbia area and took a job at Brookland-Cayce High School, where I worked for 15 years (from 2004 to 2019), teaching a wide range of courses: English I CP, English II CP, English III CP & Honors, English IV CP & Honors, English V Honors, English Humanities, Newspaper Production, SAT/ACT Preparation, Creative Writing, Advanced Writing, AP English Literature & Composition, and AP Seminar. 

I joined the English Department here at Chapin High School in 2019 and was quickly accepted as part of the CHS Family. During the fall semester of 2019, I also taught one English 102 course, which met two evenings per week, as an adjunct instructor for the University of South Carolina. During my time at CHS, I have taught English 2 CP, English 2 H, English 3 CP, English 3 H, AP English Language & Composition, AP English Literature & Composition, Public Speaking, Classical Mythology, and Creative Writing 1. This year (2025-2026), I am teaching English 2 CP, English 2 H, AP English Literature & Composition, and Public Speaking. 

Since the CHS family has made me feel so welcome, I arranged for my son, Connor, to attend school here. He graduated from CHS in 2024. Speaking of family, my wife of 21 years works as an occupational therapist (OT) for Lexington School District Two. Connor is our only child, but our family also includes two dogs, Layla and Frazey.

In addition to loving teaching, I love drawing, listening to music, playing video games, reading, and, of course, writing. Although I have not submitted anything for publication since my third year at FMU, when I was required to do so as part of a poetry class, I still write as often as I can. I have started my own comic book and have amassed a collection of poetry, short stories, plays, personal essays, and a few in-progress novels. Most recently, I've produced more than 270 manuscript pages of a novel tentatively titled Juniper Falls. My passion for writing feeds my love of teaching, and my love of teaching fuels my passion for writing.