I have the privilege of writing about life’s greatest transformations: children learning to trust their own voices, women rebuilding their lives, and the way we become where we are through language and culture. My work moves across children’s literature, personal essay, and travel and culture writing, all rooted in wonder and the feeling that the writer is discovering the meaning of the story alongside the reader. As much as I hope my writing inspires you and encourages you to grow, from my children’s literature all the way to a future memoir, my hope is always that my readers know that we are all on this journey together.
Books
For so many of us, stories opened a doorway into worlds larger, stranger, and more magical than our own. Yet, through these stories, uncertainty becomes navigable, emotions find language, and, unexpectedly, experiences lived in the real world start to take shape as something meaningful and memorable.
My books grow out of my work as a teacher, storyteller, and late blooming observer. Across both children’s literature and educational writing, I return to the same idea: learning happens through experience, relationships, and the meanings we create for ourselves and share with the world.
Children’s Books
In Development
After several years teaching at a Title I high school in the rural Midwest of the United States, I began to notice something unsettling. Many of my students had stopped reading, stopped imagining, and stopped learning. This had nothing to do with their capability, of course, but stemmed from a deep fear of being wrong. Rather than trusting their own ideas, they consistently searched for the phantom answer they believed I was waiting to hear.
Watching them rediscover confidence changed the way I understand learning. The heart of my writing remains rooted in those students and the courage it took for them to reclaim their curiosity.
Inspired by Montessori philosophy and shaped by those formative years in the classroom, my stories explore emotional resilience, curiosity, courage, and self-trust. As an educator, I undestand that my role is only to create space for observation and reflection, so my books invite children to wonder, interpret, and arrive at meaning on their own terms. Confidence grows not from correctness, but from exploration, observation, and, most importantly, the freedom to be wrong every now and again and somehow keep moving forward.
Together with Italian illustrator James Parisi, I create children’s stories that trust young readers as capable thinkers. Through thoughtful narrative and nostalgic, hand-painted illustrations that open fantastical worlds to explore, their books invite children to observe closely, reflect deeply, and arrive at their own interpretations.
I am a member of SCBWI and currently working on several picture book manuscripts.
Illustration & Collaboration
My children’s book projects are developed in collaboration with illustrator James Parisi, whose visual storytelling complements my narrative focus on curiosity, emotion, and discovery. He is known for his whimsical and fantastical style, attention to detail, and traditional methods that lend to the nostalgic feel of our books.
Essays
I’m also a published essayist, exploring themes of family, identity, reinvention, motherhood, education, and building a meaningful life across cultures. My hope is to combine these things into a longer narrative nonfiction. Please consider subscribing to stay up to date on all my writing.
If you’re looking for more personal writing, you’ll find reflections from my daily life on substack.
I was recently published in an issue of Unbordered magazine with a piece called, “The Ethics of Exploration”
Travel and Culture Writing
In my career, I’ve learned two very important things. One of them is that relationship-building is the gateway to effective education. The other is that education is the key to a positive experience in a new environment. With that in mind, I love writing about travel and culture. It’s so important, specifically in my area of the world, to help travelers understand the laws of sustainable travel and to interest them in the country and culture as a whole, and not just the Tik Tok trend. I have found that personal stories are the key to this. I love sharing the stories of Italian artisans, fighting tooth and nail to keep centuries old traditions alive.
A Note on My Work
Whether writing for children or adults, I’m interested in stories that invite participation rather than instruction. I believe readers, like learners, deserve space to interpret, imagine, and make meaning for themselves. For writing commissions, essays, collaborations, or manuscript inquiries, please get in touch.