Born and raised in Queens, NY, I was surrounded by stories— stories told by my grandmother and great grandmother and aunts and uncles and teachers. I listened whenever they spoke about their villages by the sea on islands far away in the Aegean. I sat closer when they shared accounts of our history, memories of their immigration. I always wanted to hear one more myth, one more tale of Hercules or Artemis.
My love for stories flourished as I studied creative writing and received my BA and MA in English Literature at Fordham University. That’s when I started my first kid-lit manuscript and realized that being an author was an actual job. I knew I needed health insurance, though, so once I graduated, I pursed my other passion: teaching English. After all, I loved kids, the craft of writing, and talking about books. Why not teach? I worked as an 8th grade ELA teacher in Brooklyn. I convinced middle schoolers, who claimed they hated reading, that Shakespeare was cool, taught them about dangling modifiers, and helped them discover themselves in the vast world of literature.
My students’ enthusiasm reminded me that I wanted to write books. After teaching for two years, I applied and now attend Simmons University. I am earning my MFA in Writing Children’s Literature. As I study, I find myself returning to my childhood often. My family—our tales, our history, our culture—serve as my inspiration. Invested in the intersection between intergenerational ties, immigration, culture, and community, I write for family.
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My work is a love letter to the village who raised me.
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I am represented by Jenissa Graham at BookEnds Literary Agency.