RESEARCH & CREATIVE INTERESTS

pictures + words; comics and graphic narrative; information graphics and design; web/hypertext/electronic publishing; tragicomedy; the illustrated novel; history of printing and book design; blogging, zines, and self-publishing; mapping, diagramming, and doodling; graphic facilitation; comics as collage; the gag strip; serialization; creative writing pedagogy; using comics as a teaching tool

EDUCATION

MIAMI UNIVERSITY, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Oxford, Ohio
Bachelor of Philosophy, Interdisciplinary Studies, May 2005
Focus: literature and creative writing
Summa Cum Laude, Overall GPA: 3.9

Study abroad: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, Selwyn College, Cambridge, England
Supervisions in English and world literature, Lent & Easter terms, 2004

PUBLICATIONS

“How to find poems buried in the headlines of this newspaper using only a Sharpie and your wits,” full-page spread of newspaper blackout poems, National Post, Toronto, March 7, 2007

“After The War,” a 5-page comic, Backwards City Review, Issue 4, Fall 2006

“I saw a man on my way to work,” a poem, Cleveland RTA Bus Card Project, 2006

LECTURES & PAPERS PRESENTED

“Pictures Before Words: Turning Small-Town Ohio Into Fiction,” April 2005, Senior thesis presentation and fiction reading, Senior Project Conference, Western College Campus, Miami University.

“Why I Research Write,” April 2005, Keynote speech, Miami University Undergraduate Research Forum

“Classical Tradition in Osip Mandelstam’s Acmeism,” March 2005, Miami University Undergraduate Classics Conference

“Turning Life Into Fiction,” Fall 2004, Lecture, Western College Campus, Miami University

HONORS, GRANTS & AWARDS

Benjamin Harrison Scholar, Miami University, 2001-2005. Full tuition, room, board, and expenses.

President’s List, Miami University, five semesters. 4.0 GPA.

Dean’s List, Miami University, all semesters.

Provost’s Academic Achievement Award, Miami University, Fall 2004. $1,000 scholarship recognizing academic excellence and contribution to enhancing the intellectual environment of Miami University.

Undergraduate Summer Scholar, Miami University, Summer 2004. $2,900 stipend and allowance for writing fiction. Wrote a five-story illustrated collection, The Pumpkin Show, based on annual festival held in Circleville, OH.

Honors Department Creative Project Research Grant, Miami University, Summer 2003. $800 monetary support for fiction writing while studying in Florence, Italy.

Leadership in the Arts: New York. Spring 2003. Selected through creative application for an all expenses paid trip to attend arts events and meet Miami University alumni living and working in New York City.

COURSEWORK

literature

the short story; issues of place in the novels of Dostoevsky, Dickens, and Joyce (supervision); Tragedy: Shakespeare, Milton, Aristotle (supervision); American Literature: 1914-1945; classical mythology; Greek and Roman epic; Russian poetry; great books: ancient; great books: modern; contemporary writing for creative writers

creative writing workshops

introduction to creative writing; intermediate fiction writing; advanced fiction writing; playwriting; screenwriting; independent study; senior project seminar

art / design / related

visual narrative (independent study); drawing I; interdisciplinary technology: learning information technology; the literary marketplace; creativity & culture; social systems; the art film; interdisciplinary fine arts; Italy and the Renaissance, travel and self-definition in antiquity; the writing process across disciplines

EMPLOYMENT & RELATED EXPERIENCES

Electronic Publishing Specialist, University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, 2007-present.

Public Services Assistant, Mayfield Branch, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland, Ohio, 2005-2007. - Served as branch technology representative and consultant on catalog and web design issues. Taught and trained staff and patrons to use computer and information technologies. Publicized library materials and services through brochures, book reviews, news releases, and graphic displays. Oversaw development and maintenance of branch DVD and graphic novel collections.

Writing Tutor, Windate Writing Center, Western Campus, Miami University, 2003-2005. Worked with students of all levels and abilities in a one-on-one environment on the process of writing from the earliest brainstorming to final polishing. Collaborated with professors to develop assignments and syllabi. Organized writing workshops and writing-related activities on Western Campus.

Columnist, Miami Amusement, Miami University, 2003-2005. Music reviews, editorials, and photography.

COMPUTER SKILLS

PC and Mac OS; Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, Dreamweaver); Microsoft Office Suite; sound and video editing software; HTML and CSS web design