a little more about me

Born and raised in Seattle in a multiracial family, I grew up speaking both English and Chinese. After attending Garfield High School, I studied for two years at Macalester College, and later earned my BA from The Evergreen State College. In my early twenties, I traveled to China, the birthplace of my mother, where I lived, wrote, and taught English for several years. Upon returning to the U.S., I knew I wanted to write. I obtained my MFA from Antioch University Los Angeles, and started teaching creative nonfiction workshops. In 2010, I gave birth to my son, embarking on a journey that would teach me so much about embracing my strengths and imperfections, and the intergenerational patterns we inherit and pass on.

Teaching and supporting others in their artistic and spiritual paths gives me the greatest joy. In 2021, I published my first book, Heart Radical: A Search for Language, Love, and Belonging, and also released a spoken word/electronic music collaboration with Dave Belben, entitled Learning to Speak: Songs from the Heart Radical, available on Spotify, and more.

I love being quiet in nature, dancing, reading, walking, listening to music, and collaging. Creating community and forging connections is a huge part of my calling. I’d love to hear from you.

A note on my writing and teaching

It took me a long time to learn to trust in my voice. For most of my life, I’ve longed to feel more seen and heard. Writing became the way I learned to witness myself, and, then, in developing a regular practice over two decades, I learned to take small steps towards sharing my voice more with others, too. I write of deeply personal matters, yet I don't see myself as especially courageous. The more I practice writing and sharing, the less afraid I feel, and the easier it becomes to accept my full self—weaknesses and all. I wish the same for others. 

My writing examines my many layers of identity and inherited legacies of silence, secrecy, and shame. Questions around race, belonging, uncertainty, complexity, paradox, impermanence, self-compassion, love, and longing also fuel my work. 

As a teacher, I encourage others to celebrate their unique voice and intimate stories, and to welcome deep listening. After teaching workshops for 15 years, in 2020 I launched my online Yearlong Creative Nonfiction Manuscript Program for Women and Non-binary Writers. In 2022, I took part in the Embodied Social Justice Certificate Program created by Rev. angel Kyodo Williams, as a part of my commitment to bringing a more trauma-informed and anti-racist lens to my teaching— always an evolving learning process. I am especially invigorated by my being in community with more mixed-race people via my annual spring workshop, “Both/And: Reading and Writing the Mixed-Race Experience,” and the forthcoming anthology that was inspired by this class.

I hope everyone can experience how liberating it is to share our vulnerable truths, and to realize how we all hunger for authentic connection. We are so much more alike than we realize when it comes to our basic human desires and emotions. At core, we all seek to love and be loved.