In West Africa, when a person in the village becomes sick, the Healer will ask,
"When was the last time that you sang? When was the last time that you danced?
When was the last time that you shared a story?"

Writing and Speaking Services

Families and loved ones-the circle of survivors are often forgotten in the aftermath of tragedy. They are in every waiting room of hospital ERs and ICUs across our country. They are in the schools, the workplace, and in the midst of our communities. Grieving people carry an invisible sorrow. We are everywhere.

Writing about traumatic events allows us to move easily amidst the uncertainty, ambiguity and sadness we encounter. For writing to heal, we must confront something that puzzles, troubles, or pains us. It's a necessary life-support system, as it allows us to resurface, breathe, and grasp something that is deeper and stiller within ourselves.

Speaking Engagements

• Conferences
• Seminars
• Workshops

Topics:

• Writing as Coping for Healthcare Providers
• Healing Through Writing
• Nursing Narratives
• Writing Through Illness

I create custom-designed seminars and workshops.

Freelance Writing

• Interviews
• Cover Stories
• Personal memoir
• Book Reviews
• Travel articles
• Health-related topics
• Essays

*Photojournalism (Visual Storytelling)

Writing Classes

Creative writing-classes offered in traditional and nontraditional settings.

• Introduction to Creative Nonfiction
• Writing About Loss
• Talking Pictures (exploring who we are through words and images)
• Writing the Medical Experience
• Writing About Death Without Sentimentality
• Memoir Grief Recovery

Ghost Writing

• Nursing books
• Travel destination books
• Health books

Creative Critiques (editing)

• Essays
• Memoir
• Health Writing
• Web Editing

Why I write about loss:

I write to remember. I write to forget. I write about the unspeakable to understand. By telling our stories and listening to each other's stories, we learn what makes us similar and what connects us all.

Why I write about nursing:

I write to honor my patients and to remember the moments we've shared: a hug before surgery, a hand tucked in mine, laughter between the tears, and the journey from illness to death's door. As I tell their stories, I can't help but reveal mine as well.