About Me

Photo by Jenna Blum

I grew up in a small Vermont town, then went to boarding school in Massachusetts and college in Pennsylvania. Determined to see the world, I spent time studying/working in England, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, Poland, and Portugal, while traveling to nearby countries as much as possible before settling down in the Boston area.

I have a B.A. in Classical Civilizations from Haverford College and an MATESL from Simmons College. I'm a senior lecturer at Boston University, where I teach English as a Second Language to international students and coordinate Harvard’s Graduate School of Design summer English program.  Before teaching at Boston University, I taught immigrants at community colleges and have written and edited numerous textbooks and teachers’ guides, primarily for NationaI Geographic Learning. My students, mainly in their twenties, are a constant source of inspiration as they adapt to life in the US, open their minds to new ways of thinking, and teach me about our shared humanity. 

I serve on the committee for the Jewish Book Series of the North Shore and am a member of  WFWA.  I cherish being part of the wonderful writing community in Boston and attend as many book launches and readings as I can.
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I live on the coast, north of Boston in a town called Swampscott, with my husband and three children (two of whom are in their early 20s and not really living at home anymore but it makes me too sad to write that, so I will just say they all live with me because that's what I like to believe). I love traveling, baking, and beach walks in all seasons. I'm intrigued by spirituality and mysticism and a bit more woo-woo than I first appear. I'm also just a little obsessed with the Transcendentalists, especially RWE. And Margaret Fuller. And Caroline Sturgis. And Lidian Emerson...

​I'm hard at work on my second novel, which features Lydia Maria Child, who's also from the 19th century and super cool. In fact, rather than reading about me, I suggest reading about her. She was amazing!