The Art of Academic Writing

Though I was born in Ogden, Utah, I usually claim I'm from Idaho, where I grew up in Sun Valley and Boise. I didn’t start college until my mid-20s after I was married with kids. After earning my master’s degree in rhetoric and composition, I moved with my wife and four children to earn a doctorate in composition studies at the University of New Hampshire. During the entirety of my college years, I worked full-time as a 911 operator—eight years in Boise and four years in New Hampshire. Due to these years spent as a nontraditional student, balancing work and family and school, I now dedicate my efforts to helping students who are attending college under difficult circumstances. In particular, I enjoy working with nontraditional, ESL, International, first-generation, and returning students. My background is in developmental writing, adult literacy, and writing-across-the-curriculum. Additionally, I am interested in family-history writing, which was the topic of my dissertation. I have published a few of my own personal essays, and I have helped several people write and publish their own memoirs, biographies, and family histories.