Academics etc.

Education M.F.A., University of Iowa, 1974 B.A., University of Washington, 1972

Professional Experience

  • Retired, December, 2006.

  • Mesa Community College, English Department: Professor, August, 1992 – December, 2006. Duties: teach freshman English, creative writing, modern fiction; Evening Chair, fall 1994; Coordinator of Adjunct Faculty, 1995.

  • California State University/Sacramento, Learning Skills Center and English Department: Asst. Professor. Duties: taught freshman composition and courses in reading for structure and meaning, writing skills and strategies. July, 1988 - July, 1992.

  • Northern Arizona University, English Department: Instructor. Duties: taught all levels of composition, including remedial and developmental English; creative writing for Southwest Writer's Conference. January, 1985 - July, 1988.

  • Yavapai Community College, English Department: Instructor. Duties: taught remedial and first and second semester English Composition. August, 1987 - May, 1988.

  • Arizona State University, English Department: Lecturer. Duties: taught creative writing, poetry and fiction, from freshman to graduate level; introduction to literature. August, 1978 - May, 1981.

  • Community College of Vermont/Brattleboro, Humanities Department. Lecturer. Duties: taught courses in poetry writing, the modern novel, "Eastern Thought/Western Words", a course that examined the presence of eastern philosophies and perspectives in western literature. September, 1974 - May, 1976.

  • University of Iowa, Rhetoric Program: Teaching Assistant. Duties: taught first and second semester freshman rhetoric, 1972-1974.

Academic Service

  • Creative Writing Coordinator, 2000 - 2004, Mesa Community College.

  • Director, Mesa Literary Festival, 2003 & 2006, Mesa Community College.

  • Director, "The Living Web," a literary festival, 2001 & 2002, Mesa Community College.

  • Liaison to Preparing Future Faculty program at the Graduate College, Arizona State University, 1996 - 1999.

  • Representative to Maricopa Community College District English Instructional Council and District representative to the state Articulation Task Force, 1996 - 1997.

  • Chair, Freshman Composition Assessment Committee English, Department, Mesa Community College, 1995 - 1997.

  • Member, Maricopa Community College District Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, 1995 - 1997.

  • Member, Admissions and Standards Committee, Mesa Community College, 1995 - present.

  • Presenter, Multi-culturalism in the classroom, English Dialogue Day, Phoenix College, March 30, 1994.

  • Conferee, National Community College Chair Academy, Phoenix, February 24-25, 1994.

  • Language Arts and Study Skills Coordinator, Summer Bridge Program, California State University/Sacramento, 1991-1992.

  • Presenter, "Beyond Multiculturalism," University Association of Research Scholars, C.S.U.S., April 6, 1991.

  • Conferee, 10th International Conference on Critical Thinking, Sonoma State University, August, 1990.

  • Instructor, Summer Bridge Program, California State University/Sacramento, 1988-1992.

  • Chair, Policy Review Committee, Learning Skills Center, C.S.U.S., 1992.

  • Member, Basic Writing Sub-committee, selected readings and devised questions for department-wide essay exams, C.S.U.S., 1989-1992.

  • Reader and Counselor, Writing Proficiency Exams, C.S.U.S., 1988-1992.

  • Instructor, Summer Bridge Program, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, 1986-1987.

  • Reader for Educational Testing Service PPST Exams, Berkeley, 1986.

  • Coordinator for English Department Reading series and literary conferences, A.S.U., 1980-1981.

Professional Activities

  • Judge for Academy of American Poets competition for Arizona State University students, May, 2004.

  • Panelist, "How To Start a Writing Program in Two-Year Colleges,"Associated Writing Programs annual conference, Baltimore, March, 2003.

  • Moderator, "You're Only Immortal Once," a panel on the preservation of popular culture, Southwest Popular Culture Association annual conference, Albuquerque, Feburary, 2003.

  • Panelist, "Millennium Without Memory: the preservationist roles of educators, prose writers, and poets," with Katharine Coles, W. Scott Olsen, Peggy Shumaker, and Dawn Marano, moderator, Associated Writing Programs Annual Conference, March 29 - April 1, 2000, Kansas City.

  • Moderator, "A Writer-Ghost in the Machine," a panel with Janet Holmes and Colin Morton, Associated Writing Programs Annual Conference, April 14 - 17, 1999, Albany. Presenter, "Faculty and Student Rights: Privacy and Academic Freedom on the Internet," Third Annual Learning on the Internet Conference, Santa Rosa Junior College, April 8 & 9, 1999.

  • Panelist, "Literary Publishing in the New Millennium," Tucson Poetry Festival, April 5, 1998.

  • Panelist, "Creative Writing Across the Curriculum," Associated Writing Programs Conference, Portland, Oregon, March 27, 1998.

  • Founded The Salt River Review, an electronic magazine, that publishes poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from around the world, November, 1997.

  • Humanities Scholar for Phoenix Public Library "Poets in Person" projects, a program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, October, 1997.

  • Presenter, Pedagogy Panel, Associated Writing Programs 1996 Annual Conference, April 3 - 6, Washington, DC.

  • Panelist, "Poetry in the Valley: Where We've Been and Where We're Going," sponsored by the Scottsdale Cultural Council, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, February, 1997.

  • Panel moderator, "The Other Courses We Teach," Associated Writing Programs’ Conference, April 1996, Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Judge for Academy of American Poets competition for Arizona State University students, May, 1995.

  • Featured reader and speaker, Arizona State Poetry Society annual conference, Scottsdale, AZ, April 29, 1995.

  • Presenter, Pedagogy Panel, Associated Writing Programs 1995 Annual Conference, March 8-11, Pittsburgh, PA.

  • Poet-in-residence, Arizona Commission on the Arts "Tumblewords" project and Artists' Roster, 1994-95.

  • Conferee, Associated Writing Programs 1994 Annual Conference, April 7 - 9, Tempe, AZ.

  • Judge of poetry competition, Environment issue, Southwest magazine, Flagstaff, 1994. Judge for Literary Magazine Competition, Community College Humanities Association, September, 1993.

  • Presenter, Evaluation of texts with multicultural focus, N.I.S.O.D. Conference, Austin, Texas, May, 1993.

  • Co-moderator, "The Effect of the Southwest on the Writer: The Writer's Effect on the Southwest," a panel discussion, 4th annual Southwest Writer's Conference, City Hall, Flgstaff, AZ, June, 1986.

  • Co-director, 4th annual Southwest Writer's Conference, N.A.U., Flagstaff, June, 1986.

  • Director, 5th annual Bisbee Poetry Festival, Bisbee, AZ, July, 1982.

  • Panelist and reader, "The Poet-Editor Connection," a three-day conference on the process of editing by poet-editors, Arizona State University, April, 1979.

  • Panelist, Southwestern P.E.N. Conference, A.S.U., 1978.

  • Editor/Publisher, Porch magazine, chapbook series, and Inland Boat pamphlet series, Seattle, WA and Tempe, AZ, 1977-1982.

Honors and Awards

  • Nominated for Los Angeles Times Book Award in Poetry for Temporary Meaning (2006)

  • Nominated for Pushcart Prize, 2002, 2003, 2004

  • Maricopa Community Colleges Lodestar internal grant, 1997.

  • Faculty Professional Development Mini-grant, California State University at Sacramento, 1990-91.

  • The Capricorn Award, The Writer's Voice and the West Side Y Writer's Center, NYC, 1987.

  • Writer's Fellowship in Poetry, Arizona Commission on the Arts, 1981.

  • "Outstanding Writer," Pushcart Prize III, 1977.

  • Teaching Fellowship, University of Iowa Writer's Workshop, 1972-1974.

Poetry Readings

2000's: Poetry and War, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore; Southwest Popular Culture Association Annual Conference; The Writer's Center,Bethesda, Maryland; Cecil County Arts Council, Elkton, MD; Westbeth, NYC; Connecticut College, New London, CT; Eastern Connecticut State University,Willimantic, CT; Elliott Bay Book Company,Seattle, WA; Inter-American Bookfair & Literary Festival, Trinity University, San Antonio; St. Mary's University, San Antonio; "The Living Web Literary Festival," Mesa Community College

1990's: Arizona State University; Benefit Reading for "Art From The Heart," Central Arizona Shelter Services, Hergerger Theater,Phoenix; Arizona State Poetry Society 1995 Annual Conference; Eastern Arizona College; "Faculty Showcase," Phoenix College; "First Tuesday," reading series, Orbit Expresso, Phoenix; "Kick-off" Reading, 1994-95 season, The Writer's Voice, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley YMCA; Southwest Arts Conference & Scottsdale Arts Festival; Mohave Community College and The London Bridge, Lake Havasu, AZ (sponsored by Arizona Commission on the Arts "Tumblewords" project); The Writer's Voice, YMCA of Greater New York; California State University, Sacramento; Galeria Posada, Santa Fe; University of California, Santa Barbara.

1980's: St. John's College, Santa Fe; Verde Valley Arts Association, Jerome, AZ; M.A.R.S. Gallery, Phoenix; Eastern Arizona University; The Artists' Gallery, Santa Fe; 1st, 3rd, & 4th annual Southwest Writer's Conferences, Northern Arizona University; Cochise Fine Arts, Bisbee, AZ; Alwun House Poetry Series, Phoenix; Kerr Cultural Center, Scottsdale, AZ; The Book Barn, Somerset, NJ; Maple Leaf Poetry Series, New Orleans; Louisiana State University

1970's: Arizona State University; University of Washington Castalia Series