Hi! I’m Katie.

I’m a literature nerd to the core. In 2010, I earned my PhD in 19th-century British literature, women’s writing, and justice from the University of London. By then, I’d already been at the helm of middle school, high school, and college English classrooms for 6 years. Combined, I’ve taught literature, composition, rhetorical strategies, and critical thinking courses for 20 years. It was in those spaces, and because of the students I’ve been privileged to walk alongside, that I honed my passion for social justice, becoming an ally for any learner in need of one and teaching them all to self-advocate in order to challenge limited and limiting social systems.

Born and raised outside of Los Angeles, California, I grew up in the sun, but hate the beach. Through equal measures bad and good fortune, I had the opportunity to live and work outside of Oxford, England for nearly 7 years. Deciding to raise my first daughter in the sunshine brought me back to the City of Angels, at least temporarily.

I have 2 beautiful daughters and you had better believe they’re already breaking down walls, dismantling oppressive structures, and otherwise kicking ass and taking names. Just like their mama. We have 4 dogs because, well, dogs, and when we’re not shattering the boundaries trying to contain us, we’re running amuck at the dog park, getting our adrenaline pumping at a Disney theme park, time traveling though history at vintage and antique stores, soaking in the sights and sounds of musical theater, and traversing the world while visiting far-flung family members.

I believe that everyone is a writer with a powerful story to tell. Stories to tell. Whether for a writing class, college or job application, or personal fulfillment, I want to help these stories emerge and transform the selves writing them and the selves reading them in the process.