Teaching & Speaking

I enjoy working with writers and students of writing in workshops and academic settings. I’m a knowledgeable speaker on topics such as narrative journalism, nature and environmental writing, magazine publishing, and how to work with editors. I have presented craft talks on such topics as developing scenes and characters, innovations in story structure, and the art of the section break. I enjoy playing an editor-in-residence role at conferences and workshops, where I meet with writers one-on-one and deliver manuscript critiques. I’m available for lectures, panel discussions, and university campus visits, where I can bridge the gap between English departments, journalism departments, and MFA programs. 

I have taught and lectured for the following institutions:

Association of Writers and Writing Programs
Association for the Study of Literature and Environment
Bard College at Simon’s Rock
Berkeley Narrative Journalism Conference
BinderCon
Blue River Writers Gathering
Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference
Bread Loaf Environmental Writers’ Conference
Fishtrap
Iowa State University Wilderness Symposium
Kentucky Women Writer’s Conference
Middlebury Fellowships in Environmental Journalism
Middlebury Institute of International Studies
National Conference for Media Reform
Newkirk Center at University of California, Irvine
Nonfiction Now Conference
Patagonia, Inc.
Society for Environmental Journalists Conference
University of Arizona Carson Scholars Program
University of North Carolina, Wilmington Writer’s Week
University of California, Santa Barbara College of Creative Studies
Whidbey Writers Workshop/Low-Residency MFA
Wildbranch Writing Workshop
Wilderness Festival
Writers Workshop in Honor of Rachel Carson

Additionally, I’ve been a judge for several high-profile literary awards and fellowships.