​I have been writing, collaborating, facilitating, and creating dynamic learning experiences for people of all ages and abilities for over 20 years. My work is inspired by brain science, somatics, the power of storytelling, popular education, and lifelong learning in diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and transformative justice.

As a special educator, I have skills in data analysis, universal design, crafting relevant, measurable learning objectives, coordinating teams, and action mapping for behavior change. I love to get creative and help people learn and grow by any means necessary.  

 I am now integrating these skills as a learning experience designer, upskilling with Rise 360, Articulate Storyline, Camtasia, and other design and authoring tools.

I am planning to re-design this site with a new web host soon - pardon the mess during this transition! Please check back soon as I add more projects throughout ​spring and summer of 2023.
A Black woman and man sit on the floor, watching a laptop and smiling.

Why you should
always caption your content - and how to get started
​                      Rise 36o eLearning Module                              
A white woman with long hair, a leopard-print top, and spiral earrings stands in front of a window full of plants holding a sign that reads

    Domestic Workers
​Save Lives
 Analysis on reproductive labor and the caring economy - commissioned for Medium by Domestic Employers (a partner of NDWA) and reprinted in MomsRising 
Approximately 40 Latine and Indigenous parents and children stand smiling for a group picture in a park, with leafy trees in the background.

 El Amor de la Comunidad​
Photo essay and bilingual interviews with Chicago (im)migrant parent educators and community organizers - published by Transition Network and republished by Resilence

A four-panel collage with activists of all ages standing in front of government buildings in protest; holding a baby; and holding signs that say Free Marissa Now.

​From Self-Defense to Self-Determination
Interview with Aleta Alston-Touré on the Free Marissa movement, racial justice activism, and forming the first US intentional community led by Black women - published by Transition Network
 (Some of the formatting here has been lost, and the images
are no longer visible. For an unformatted version with
​original photos, please click here)
A group of people of all ages, including toddlers in strollers, stand in front of a building wearing winter coats and holding signs that say
 
Come For the Fun, Stay for the Revolution 
  A roundup of grassroots community organizers
 who occupy public spaces to bring intergenerational art and programming to people of all ages, published by Transition Network and republished by Resilience
A sepia image of a tan house with brown trim, flat, barren land, and a brown sky after a dust storm.Patrick Emerson via Flickr. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode

Demeter in Kansas
Historical fiction excerpted from novel-in-  progress Inside the Wow, blending research about the Dust Bowl, climate change, and burlesque history - Second Prize in the 2016 Literal Latte Fiction Award
Awards and Distinctions:
Columbia College Chicago Follett Fellowship for
outstanding writing, 2012-2015

Blue Mountain Center 4-week residencies in New York for "fine work that evinces social and ecological concern," 2015 & 2017

Granum Foundation Prize longlist for excellence in writing, 2022

First Prize, Chicago Newberry Bughouse Square
Soapbox Speech Award, 2016

First Prize, Chicago Guild Complex Prose Award, 2014

Second Prize, Literal Latte Fiction Award for historical fiction, 2016

Finalist, Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award, 2009
​​
Check back soon for an Articulate Storyline project and more accessible, prosocial learning experience designs! 
In the meantime, here are a few links for inspiration on how to build
​a more accessible, inclusive world: