I’ve been teaching writing for over 20 years, and I’ve done so in a diversity of settings. As a college instructor, I’ve helped graduate students finish dissertations. As a teaching artist, I’ve helped fourth graders write poems. As a freelance tutor, I’ve helped high school students polish essays. I’ve taught online, in front of classrooms, and one-on-one in writing centers with students of diverse ages, backgrounds, and assignments. Working one-on-one is my favorite way to teach and the best way to learn.

I can help you improve your writing or just understand the writing process better so you can be more efficient. Whatever aspect of writing you’re struggling with—from grammar to publishing to generating copy for your business—I’m confident I can help you become a better and more successful writer.

Why so confident? Well, I’ve been writing all my life.

I’ve been a columnist for The Boston Globe, McSweeney’s, and Visual Thesaurus. I've authored book-length projects, including a dissertation and Bullshit: A Lexicon from Random House. I’ve successfully written in genres that are dry (academic articles, white papers, news articles), journalistic (magazine features, reviews, interviews), comedic (sketches, humor pieces, stand-up bits), and commercial (jokes for Someecards, gift copy for Blue Q). In the last case, my writing appeared on the often-overlooked medium of socks.

Among other publications, I’ve written for Bark, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Reader, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Columbia Journalism Review, Cracked, Esquire, Funny Times, History Magazine, Jack Kirby Collector, Mental Floss, Nerve, New Scientist, Psychology Today, Salon, Slate, The Writer, and Writer’s Digest.

My writing about language led to work as a namer—yes, it’s a real profession—in which I come up with names for products, services, and companies. I’ve worked as a freelance namer as well as a full-time naming consultant for a tech company.

From lists of names to book manuscripts, I’ve written it. These experiences are invaluable to me as a writing coach.