As a middle schooler I delivered the written word to my neighborhood on a daily basis. I wound my blue Schwinn bike through our hilly and twisty suburban development which was built upon an old pig farm. Sunday papers were bulky and heavy but rich with ideas and culture and plenty of advertisements and opinions. 

To do my job I had to overcome my reluctance to converse with strangers, and communicate effectively, whether in writing or standing on the front walk chatting. I learned to tailor my words to different audiences, to be precise, and to move my thoughts into the world with confidence. 

Today I still deliver words, like a midwife, by caring for, shepherding, and nourishing writers, both adults and teens. Right beside them I offer my support, my expertise, and my experience. I also offer procedural and technical reminders. I help writers birth their ideas on paper, gaze at their work in new ways, express their authentic and unique voice, and do all that without criticizing or exhausting themselves. The birthing room is awash with light, kindness, and humor. It’s so much more than Zoom.

During my career I’ve worked with 6 year old poets, 8 year old storytellers, 12 year old biographers, teen college essayists, and adult memoirists. Some people think working with high school writers is like herding hormonal cats and they offer me sympathy or pity. They mean well. But there’s really no need for concern. Whether I’m working with teens or adults, it’s actually carefully orchestrated choreography. 

There is a collective energy gathered, an ordering of movement and thought, a purposeful structure and framework that not only harnesses desire and talent, but through repetition and routine creates meaning and art. I love working with writers of all ages because I get to unearth and witness their stories. Voices emerge, grow confident, and offer the world and me something new. Together we birth change.