WHERE 

I've been accepted and given a partial fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center (VSC), the largest international artists' and writers' Residency Program in the United States.

WHY 

I require $2,950 to fund the portion of tuition (and room and board) which my partial fellowship does not cover. This is an opportunity for my professional development and my focus on creative goals. Any funds over my goal will be applied to the book's publication.

With your $10 donation, you'll recieve this Whoopie Pie, PLUS a lot of other cool things! Look to the right of this page for all the extra perks ...

BIG DEAL 

As a stroke survivor, the time away will be invaluable to me. My brain goes "haywire" when faced with sensory overload: noise, chatter, stimulation, etc.. For me, this equals an exacerbation of my symptoms, which include having no sense of time, no sense of hunger, disorientation, high anxiety, and aphasia.

Here's the peanut butter cookie you'll recieve for a $20 donation [plus a lot of other cool things!]. I'll make sure to send you a whole one!

WHO

I live in Conway, Massachusetts and am the author of the poetry chapbook, All of Me (Booksmyth Press, 2008).  I attended New England College's MFA program and facilitated stroke survivors' writing workshops. I also founded the nationally known Collective Poets Series in Shelburne Falls, MA. I live with my partner John and unabashedly adore my puppy, Ida Red. I also feel an affinity for baked goods. Especially cupcakes. Ok, not exactly an affinity, but not exactly an obsession. The baked goods are just a little extra added something that I can give you!

With your $25 donation, you'll recieve this Chocolate Chip Cookie, PLUS a lot of other cool things! Look to the right of this page for all the extra perks ... I PROMISE it'll be a whole one!

PAST 

"All of Me," and "Hallelujah," have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I was a finalist for the Pavel Srut fellowship in Prague. In addition, I won fellowships with Philanthropic Education Organization, American Association of University Women, and the Yellow Fox Foundation. I've been published in many journals including American Poetry Journal, Boiling River, The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Diner, The Equinox, Poetry Northwest, The Recorder, Slipstream, Survivor's Review, Sweet, Tattoosday, and Connotation Press.

With your $50 donation, you'll recieve this Brownie, PLUS a lot of other cool things! Look to the right of this page for all the extra perks ...

SETTING 

The environment at VSC assures the ability to focus on my work in a nurtured, structured setting. Attending this residency would let me improve my manuscript and develop other works in progress, surrounded by fellow fiction writers, poets, sculptors, painters, and other visual artists. 

With your $100 donation, you'll recieve My Famous-Better-Than-Nigella's-Banana-Bread, PLUS a lot of other seriously cool things! Look to the right of this page for all the extra perks ...

THE IMPACT 

The narrative poems, which will be the bulk of my work at VSC, are poems of witness. They are also about hope and desire, expectation and self-invention.

The play is set deep in Southern Appalachia and in part, written in dialect. Bearing witness by necessity, the verses are about ambition and striving, repression, faith and spirituality. And it’s about music, beautiful Old Time music ... a music that demands revival.

With your $200 donation, you'll recieve an Amy Sedaris cupcake, AND a bunch of other seriously cool things! Look to the right of this page for all the extra perks ...

THE FEEL GOOD PART 

Remember, you’re helping an income-reduced poet realize one of my dreams. Please give what you can … lovely little perks are to the right of this page.

With your $500 donation, you'll recieve a Dulce de Leche Cheesecale, AND a bunch of other wonderfully cool things! Look to the right of this page for all the extra perks ...

OTHER WAYS YOU COULD HELP

Can you help make noise about this campaign? Please re-Tweet it, share on Facebook, on your email lists, or word-of-mouth it! Some people just can't contribute and that is OKAY!

Remember, funding can continue even if the goal is reached, so please don't be afraid to pledge "too much." Don't be afraid to pledge too little, either. Everything helps. Thank you, thank you, thank you, in advance!

With your $1000 donation, you'll recieve a a superior Red Velvet Cake, PLUS every other cool perk to the right of the page!