I am at heart an East Coaster, more specifically a New Yorker.  I had no idea how much the culture of the East Coast was a part of my identity until I moved to  Iowa for graduate school.  And while there is a lot which I have grown to appreciate living in Iowa, the expansive green space, the ability to travel 10 miles in 10 minutes and not 45, and so on…I do miss what still feels like home.

I miss the ocean and the salty sea breeze.  I crave the diversity of markets and neighborhoods that allowed me, when I lived in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, to pick up in my weekly shopping fresh tofu, just fried falafel, italian rainbow cookies,  and just baked bagels.  Then, if I wanted a treat on the way home, I could pick up a cool homemade italian ice.

Now, I live in a Big Ten Michigan town with my husband of almost 8 years, my son who is 18 months old, and my weim/lab, who acts still very much like a puppy. I have been very fortunate to be able to work part-time while finishing up my degree, and that has meant some very special time to spend with my son, which I treasure.

I am finishing up my dissertation on 19th century US women writers, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Catherine Owen, Frances E.W. Harper, and Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, and plan on graduating this summer.  I also teach writing and literature at a local community college.

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