"I feel uniquely qualified to tutor young learners in writing and adjacent fields, thanks to my experience writing books for young adults, as well as the writing workshops I've given over the past ten years.

Among my novels for children and young adults are Let's Get Lost (a YALSA Teens' Top Ten Nominee), Never Always Sometimes (recognized as a Kirkus Reviews Best Book) and Before Takeoff (an Amazon Editor’s pick). My work has been lauded for its authentic voice and relatable characters, qualities that are essential in resonating with middle and high school students.

One of the most challenging and rewarding moments in my career so far was the opportunity to edit Come On In: 15 stories of immigration and finding home. Writing can be a solitary job, but having the opportunity to work with other writers as an editor sparked an interest in the difficulty, beauty, and challenge of helping guide others’ work to achieve their vision in their unique voice. Teenagers, in my time writing for them and speaking with them as an author, have proven to me time and again to have a bevy of talent and voice. I want to help them find it.

Over the past ten years, I’ve been a guest speaker at high schools around the US and internationally. I’ve given talks about my path into publishing, hosted question-and-answer sessions about my books and led classroom writing workshops for hundreds of students. I’ve mentored unpublished marginalized writers and been an advocate for diverse stories and how they enrich the landscape of literature.

I would be honored to continue to serve young learners by helping them improve their writing skills, whether it is for their education, or with an eye on a career in publishing or a relevant field." less...