CURRENT MISSION

Learn about other people and the world, spread tolerance and joy

ABOUT ME

I write literary fiction and young adult fantasy novels, and teach 20th-century British literature as well as contemporary lit on the college level. I'm an ardent reader and conversationalist, love walking in the woods, travel, adventure.

PHILOSOPHY

Be open to the world. Live creatively. But don't forget that people have complex motivations, so don't be completely naive. Still, have faith: there are a lot of kind, generous people in the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I haven't surfed but would like to; I am happy to host.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

When I was in my 20s I lived in Portugal, Morocco, and England for a few years, and then in New York City where I waitressed before going back to graduate school. A lot of those years were spent in couch-surfing mode, meeting people as I traveled, and forming both lasting and fleeting friendships.

Interests

Literary fiction, fantasy, magical realism. Visual arts. Gardening. Dogs. Street performances. Inventing new ways of forming communities.

• dogs
• arts
• books
• literature
• walking
• gardening
• traveling
• socializing
• fishing
• hiking
• surfing
• visual arts

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: Bladerunner, City of Lost Children, Dark City, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich.

Music: world music, jazz, blues, R & B, progrock

Authors: Penelope Fitzgerald, John Berger, Alice Munro, Hilary Mantel, Roberto Bolano, Sebald, Calvino, Angela Carter, Kathryn Davis, Coetzee, Tom Drury, Trevor, Suzanne Collins, Ursula K LeGuin, Maurice Sendak

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiking in Kokee State Park, Kauai; living for a year in a Portuguese fishing village; living for 3 months in Chefchaouen, Morocco; spending six weeks in Turkey, Italy, and Greece researching a novel.

Teach, Learn, Share

I can do book horoscopes for people who like literary and fantastical fiction -- if you tell me some of the books you like, I can often help you find more. I love collecting esoteric bits of weird information and wondrous art (eg Odilon Redon, Leonora Carrington, Max Ernst, Slinkachu) and posting these on my facebook page. I prefer fb to twitter in that the former allows people who don't know each other to enter into the conversation, and to continue that conversation over time.