I am a full-time English instructor at Wharton County Junior College in Texas. I also teach part-time for Southern New Hampshire University online.In addition to being a Professor of English, I am also a Pushcart Nominated writer and poet; my books include Kissing the Wound (Moon Tide Press, 2023) and Pocketing Feathers (Sadie Girl Press, 2015). My third book, Reluctant Prophets, is set to be released in early 2025. I am also shopping around a fourth collection (The Silence of God) and working on a collection of essays (about tragedy) that I am hoping to have out in 2026 or 2027.My teaching and research interests include Early American Literature, Latino Literature, Early World Literature (Greeks, Romans, Bible, myths, fairy tales), Metamodernism, Composition and Rhetoric, Comics/Graphic Novels, Theater, and Film. I unabashedly love Shakespeare!My dissertation was focused on Benjamin Franklin's influence on 19th-century American authors: Louisa May Alcott, Fanny Fern, Horatio Alger, and Mark Twain. For my MA thesis, I focused on poetry pedagogy.Within all areas, I try to expand the conversations; I’m passionate about “hearing the other side." Today, I am a full-time academic focused on teaching and research, but I spent much of my previous life as a corporate trainer. I've done everything from teaching airmen how to use weapons in the Air Force to sharing team-building and customer service strategies for Disney. Along the way, I've been privileged to work with and train some amazing folks.If we worked together, met at a conference, did a reading together, or you were my student, I'll happily add you to my contacts. I'm also happy to connect with other educators, speakers, poets, writers, and, of course, alumni of WCJC, SNHU, Collin College, CSUF, TAMUC, the USAF, and Disney. One of the best things about LinkedIn is the ability to grow our network; you never know whom you’ll meet down the line!