University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA: Bachelor of Arts in History, minor in English, Graduated Magna Cum Laude; Benjamin Franklin Scholar, Dean's List.
2010 Lambda Literary Award Finalist for Map.
First Place, 2000 David Dornstein Memorial Short Story Contest, for "The Terrorist Game."
Second Place, 1999 David Dornstein Memorial Short Story Contest, for "On the Eighth Day."
Winner for fiction, 1996 American Jewish Cultural Project Contest, for "God Saved the Fish."
Do Over. Picture book. Published November 2022.
The Day My Best Friend and a Migraine Slept Over. Picture book. Shortlisted for The Forevability Book Awards. Published October 2022.
Look at Me. Picture book. Published December 2021.
Bear and Dragon Cat. Picture book. Published July 2021.
Map. Memoir. Lambda Literary Award Finalist. Published October 2009.
Instructor, Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Cambridge, MA, spring 2005 - spring 2013. Courses taught:
Embodied Memoir (6 weeks)
Winter 2013 (solo), Spring 2013 (co-taught with Amber Espar)Memoir Workshop (8 weeks)
Winter 2011, Spring 2010, Fall 2009, Spring 2009, Fall 2008, Spring 2008, Winter 2008, Fall 2007, Winter 2007, Winter 2006, Fall 2005, Summer 2005Novel Development (8 weeks)
Fall 2010, Fall 2009, Winter 2009, Fall 2008Novel Development Workshop II (7 weeks)
Spring 2010, Spring 2009Borderlines: Writing on the Border of Fiction and Non (7 weeks)
Spring 2007Writing Compelling Essays (8 weeks)
Summer 2006, Fall 2005, Summer 2005, Spring 2005Nonfiction Revision Mini-Workshop (5 weeks)
Spring 2006
Single-session Workshops:
Stories About You and Me (Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool, 2014-2015 school year)
Embodied Memoir (E|MERGE Interdisciplinary Artist Residency, 2/12/2013)
Writing Queer Jewish Identity (NUJLS Conference, 4/2/2011; Nehirim, 10/31/2010)
Is Your Cat Queer? A Playful and Maybe Deep Conversation-Game About Jewishness, Queerness, and Spirituality (Nehirim Women's Retreat, 3/6/2011)
Letting Go of Your Manuscript (CCAE Writers Conference, 10/24/2010)
Mapping Memory Lane for middle school students (826 Boston, 4/19/2010)
[me]moir for high school students (826 Boston, 4/19/2010)
Memoir Workshop for eighth graders (co-taught, 826 Boston, 3/19/2010)
Telling Your Story Workshop for queer teens and allies (NAGLY, 1/26/2010)
Structural Decision-Making for Fiction and Memoir (CCAE Writers Conference, 10/25/2009)
Protecting the Inner Writer (CCAE Writers Conference, 11/5/2006)
Writing Jewish Experience (Temple Beth Avodah, 3/25/2006)
Taking the Risks of Publishing (CCAE Writers Conference, 11/6/2004)
Summer Camp Counselor and Style Studio Specialist, Steve and Kate's Camp, Palo Alto CA, summer 2015.
Teacher, Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool, Cambridge MA, fall 2014 - spring 2015.
Volunteer and Substitute Teacher, Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool and Outback Summer Program, Cambridge MA, fall 2012 - summer 2014.
Mentor for College Planning and Essay Writing Program, Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, Cambridge MA, fall 2012.
Co-instructor of "Banking on Our Future" financial literacy class for teens at English High School in Jamaica Plain MA, fall 2005.
Instructor, "Preparing Effective Minutes," original course created for credit analysts at Citizens Bank, summer 2005.
Co-facilitator of two safe schools workshops (to facilitate school and camp cultures that are safe and affirming of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youth and families), Keshet Jewish Safe Schools Program, summer 2005, summer 2004.
Founder of three peer-critique writing groups, 1998 - 1999, 2002 - 2004, summer 2007.
Panelist, "Keeping the Wolves at Bay: How to Defeat Self-Doubt At the Keyboard," Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, May 16 2010.
Panelist, "Self-Publishing: Why and How To Do It," National Writers Union Writers Life Series, April 21 2010.
Panelist, "Writing Out of Bounds: The Collision of Storytelling, Queer Activism, Exposure, and Truth-Seeking," True Colors Annual Conference, March 12 2010.
Guest Speaker, Experiments in Writing class, The Taft School, May 18 2000.
Panelist, Symposium: "What a Jew Makes?!" for Jewish Creativity Week at the University of Pennsylvania Kelly Writers House, April 6 1997.
"Self-Publishing: A Changing Landscape," guest post for Writers' Rumpus blog, July 2022.
"On Publishing Choices: An Opinionated Primer," guest post for Pimp My Novel blog, August 2010.
"Memoir, Truth, and Activism," guest post for LGBT Reading blog, June 2010.
"Writing About Real People," guest post for Heim Binas Fiction blog, June 2010.
"The Cool Test," Entropy, Fall 2001.
"One Jew, Two Jew, Het Jew, Blue Jew," Kol Keshet, Spring 2001.
"Like a Tornado," Chavurah, August 2000.
"Break More than a Glass at Your Wedding," GenerationJ.com, June 2000.
"I'm Telling You I'm Bisexual" (excerpt from Map), JVibe.com, June 2000.
JVibrations "Sexpert" column, JVibe.com, June 2000.
"Have You Ever Had a Red Man," GenerationJ.com, February 2000.
"A Pocket Guide to A Proactive Education," The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 18 1999.
This piece generated tons of mail from faculty, students, administrators, and alumni around the country. It was distributed to to Tutors at The Oxbridge Honors Program of William Jewell College and used as the basis for a talk "Connecting Oxbridge Students with their Future" by advisor to Oxbridge honors students Dr. John Westlie. It was also included in material sent to freshman at Gettysburg College.
"Beatitudes on TV," B-GLAD '97 Magazine, Spring 1997.
"How I Remember It," Ma'ayan, Spring 1997.
"Branded," Voyage Out, 1997.
"Street Pissed on Me" (Guest Column), 34th Street, October 3 1996.
"Notes from abroad," Chavurah, May 1996.
"Thought For Food" (Guest Column), Daily Pennsylvanian, July 6 1995.
"Ariel," Chavurah, June 1995; reprinted in Jewish Quarterly: A Journal of Jewish Life at the University of Pennsylvania, Fall 1995.
"Looking For Answers" (Guest Column), Daily Pennsylvanian, May 3 1995.
"Images of Israel" (excerpts from photojournalistic essay, "Israel: Land People Spirit and Soul"), Passport Magazine, Spring 1995.
"Sara's first four questions," Chavurah, May 1994.
"When I Got a Catcher For My Rye and All," Woman, February 2001.
"The Terrorist Game," Jewish Education News, Winter 2001.
"Liquid," anthologized in Dingbat #4, Spring 2000.
"Ilana '93," Blithe House Quarterly, Spring 2000.
"On The Eighth Day," Jewish Education News, Summer 1999.
"False Alarm," Local Access, Winter 1995.
"$289," Local Access, Winter 1995; anthologized in Dingbat #4, Spring 2000.
"Coming Out," Outlines, October 1995.
"Exodus," Taft Bulletin, Spring 1993; reprinted in Jewish Quarterly: A Journal of Jewish Life at the University of Pennsylvania, Spring 1994.
Book Welcome for Look at Me, Zoom, December 1 2021.
Reading at Calamus Bookstore, February 25 2011.
Reading at University of Pennsylvania Bookstore, October 4 2010.
Bi Lines III: A Celebration of Bisexual Writing in Reading, Music & Culture, May 28 2010.
Saints and Sinners Reading Series: Lambda Literary Award Finalists, May 15 2010.
Book Release Reading for Map, Cambridge Center for Adult Education, October 16 2009.
Cambridge Center for Adult Education Faculty Reading, June 5 2009.
Thesis Reading at the Emerson College Graduate Reading Series, November 8 2002.
Emerson College Graduate Reading Series, March 1 2001.
A Night of Thanks: Benefit for Boston's Queer Agenda, Midway Cafe, November 17 2001.
National Writers Union Coming Out Reading, October 28 2001.
That Promising Seadog Media Benefit House Concert/Reading, April 1 2000.
Emerson College Graduate Reading Series, November 19 1999.
Cambridge Center for Adult Education Evening of Student Readings, December 9 1997.
Tufts University National Coming Out Day Rally, October 1998.
University of Pennsylvania Kelly Writers House, April 5 1997.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hillel Reading Series, Spring 1996.
The Taft School Vespers, Spring 1993.