Good stories live in all of us.

I come from a long line of storytellers: musicians, preachers, visual artists, singers, academics, and orators. My childhood was surrounded by the wondrous power of storytelling and that's cemented a lifelong appreciation for sharing, listening, and learning.  From a young age, I understood stories as a means to preserve history, cultivate connectedness, and facilitate understanding.

 My writing is grounded by ideas of humanity, interrogation, reflection, and authenticity. As a liberatory designer and storyteller, I'm continually pulling from the storied traditions of my yesteryear to catch and share the stories moving through the world around us. 

  • "Diversifying Dance," Bravery i18

  • "Pride Parade" - Bravery i15

  • "Where Trust Grows Alongside Produce." - Eater

  • "Stamp Your Passport" - Bravery i15

  • "Ella and Her Allies" - Bravery i14

Food Writing

If I ever write a memoir, it’d be a collection of food stories. The story of a sweaty plum harvest would be a tale about family, ancestral knowledge, and self-sufficiency. An anecdote about an industrial-grade walnut cracker, the first thing my father ever purchased from the internet, would tell how the internet has refashioned rural communities, or maybe it’d contextualize an illustrated survey of the numerous food gadgets in my parents’ home. Eating gumbo with chopsticks or putting soy sauce on collard greens could be a multi-generational narrative about what it means for Black and Asian foodways to constantly commingle under one roof.

My brain thinks in food story and I’m always grateful to get them out of my head and onto the page.

Kid Lit

Children’s books are life long. The ones I loved were wild and whimsical. They were laugh-out-loud tales driven by complex characters and sophisticated themes.

Young people deserve both unbridled fun and the chance to unravel some of the world’s complexities.

These are the stories I aim to write.

  • I wrote the following works celebrating the Queen of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald:

    • Ella and Her Allies

    • Five People Who Had Ella’s Back

    • That Fluttering Feeling - Have you ever been nervous and had that fluttering feeling in your tummy?

    • A Tisket Tasket Tune Up

    • Playlist Power - What songs would you include on a playlist that celebrates you?

    • Scat Like That - Learn more about the style of singing Ella was famous for

    • All That Jazz

  • For this gorgeous issue, featuring painter Bernice Bing, I contributed the following pieces:

    • Stamp Your Passport - Take a Trip Through China

    • Pride Parade

    • Nickname Game

    • Pull A Painting - Make Your Own Artwork Using String

    • The Ancient Art of Calligraphy

    • Braaaaaave Kids - Looks Who’s Dreaming and Doing

  • For this issue, where we met physician Susan La Flesche Picotte, I contributed the following pieces:

    • History at Home - honoring the history of our local indigenous communities

    • In Their Shoes - An exercise making space for young people to practice empathy

    • Medical Maze - What does Dr. La Flesche Picotte need to treat her patients

    • Spin and Listen In - Storytelling as Omaha Tradition

    • All Better Letter word game

  • This issue features entomologist Evelyn Cheesman, for which I wrote the following:

    • Identifying Insects: What makes and insect and insect?

    • Am I an insect?

    • Evelyn’s Explorations

    • Feeling Antsy? Pretend your an ant. What would life be like if you were tiny?

    • Pest Pals: Insects have all sorts of important jobs.

  • I had the pleasure of crafting the following pieces for the Misty Copeland issue of Bravery Magazine:

    • Diversifying Dance

    • Attitude of Gratitude - Thank Your Body By Filling in the Blanks

    • Mentor Message

    • Amazing Athletes - Check out these incredible world records

    • Ballet Dancer - How many words can you make using the letters above?