Fresh Insights, Challenging Questions, Engaging Talk, Practical Advice

I bring to speaking, teaching, reading, and editing a commitment to my audience. I want to say something they have not heard or thought of before.  Success means being answered by challenging ideas and probing questions. I gladly share the stage for debate. A good talk or a good class is not the decisive word but the beginning of discussion.

​"Whether I'm creating a housing program in Kazakhstan, writing about environmental planning, consulting with a new business in Russia, or teaching in an American university, I want my subject to be something I've put my hands on, something I know from doing."
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SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Professional groups, civic, clubs, public organizations, colleges and schools can book a talk and be sure that it will offer fresh insights and challenging questions with respect for many points of view. Subjects range from environmental policy to Russian history to conflict resolution to neuroscience and the nature of poetry. 

teaching and workshops

I teach from experience as well as research. Whether I've taught literature and writing about science and nature or property valuation in World Bank courses or property litigation in law schools--my understanding of the subject comes from both life and research. I offer single workshops and short courses for students, adult learners, and professionals. 

In public schools I have taught biology, general science, and English. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill I taught English and American literature, composition, and creative writing. I also taught writing at Duke University and served two times as Writer-in-Residence at Bucknell University. At other times I've taught business courses in Central America, property valuation in Central Asia and Armenia, and Spanish in both high school and community college.

​In the spring of 2017 I taught a short course on Environmental Covenants at Texas A&M University Law School in Ft. Worth. In 2018 I taught courses in poetry reading aloud and poetry craft and appreciation for Oregon Coast Community College.

readings, Editing, coaching for writers

I have edited successful novels, non-fiction, and many articles. My clients include graduate students as well as established professional writers. For several years I've served as an on-line writing mentor for honors and graduate students at Duke University. For universities, bookstores, libraries and civic groups I have given readings from my own work as well as readings with commentary from work I love and consider important. 

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