I grew up in Butte, Montana — a town where stories run as deep as the veins of copper beneath the earth. I attended Catholic schools, figure skated at the local rink, and worked part-time in a laundry, photography studio, and children’s camp. At 18, I headed west, launching a 12-year career as a social worker in Washington and Montana. It was there I developed a deep respect for the courage and resilience of people facing poverty, discrimination, and injustice every day.

In time, the untold stories of Butte drew me back. I returned in the summer of 1991, mid-way through my doctoral work in social work and cultural anthropology at the University of Michigan. What began as a three-month research project evolved into a life-changing, three-year journey — collecting oral histories from miners and families in Butte and Chuquicamata, Chile. I returned to Chile each year for a decade, working with human rights advocates, storytellers, and community leaders. These experiences cemented my belief in the power of lived stories to advance social change.

For the past 30 years, I’ve taught and written at the intersection of justice, culture, and community. My work has appeared in journals such as Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work, Community Development Journal, Frontiers, Social Text, Childhood, and the Journal of Community Practice, among others. I currently serve as an associate editor of Affilia and continue to mentor students and practitioners across disciplines.

Today, I write from a place of both deep roots and broad horizons. Whether in nonfiction or fiction, my aim is to illuminate the voices too often left in the margins — and to inspire new ways of thinking about justice, connection, and possibility.