I must write it all out, at any cost.
Writing is thinking.
It is more than living,
for it is being conscious of living.
--Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Books and writing have been an important part of my life from my earliest memory. My paternal grandfather bought me a Little Golden Book every day from the day I was born until he passed away when I was just over three years old.  My maternal grandmother read voraciously her entire life, and I will never forget watching my maternal grandfather read his Bible every day.

It is not surprising, then, that I have chosen to study English and writing during my college years and that I have chosen to be an English and writing teacher. The most significant graduate experience that I have had was my three summers at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where I immersed myself in writing and language on my way to earning a PhD in Composition and TESOL.

At King, I direct the Composition program and teach composition classes, including ENGC 1110 and 2010, Editing, and Rhetorical and Narrative Patterns. I am also King's Writing Program Administrator.

My interests include reading, writing, and working out at the fitness center. I also enjoy spending time with my family, especially my grandsons Grant, Zac, and Charlie and my granddaughter Grace. I have two daughters and sons-in-law, Jennifer and Jeff and Stephanie and Justin, four grandchildren, and two cats, Milo and Indy.

Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania (English: Composition and TESOL)

M.A. East Tennessee State University (English)

B.S. Tennessee Technological University (Secondary Education: English and History)

Current Research and Professional Activities

I have recently finished  my dissertation on the strategies that undergraduate writing center tutors use when they work with adult and advanced writers. My research for the dissertation focused on writing center pedagogy, identity theory, and andragogy. Other research interests include composition pedagogy, writing center management, and Appalachian literature. Each year I attend the College Composition and Communication Convention to network with my colleagues in composition studies and to learn best practices to incorporate into my classes and King's Composition program.