I grew up on the benches of Bountiful, Utah. The nature of the surrounding mountains both sheltered and consumed me. At a very young age, I found myself trying to describe my surroundings with the written word. With a mother as an interior designer, and a father as a French professor, I had a vast exposure to both culture and the arts. These two entities would shape my life and my desires.
I had a lot of good influences when I was young. As I look back upon my history, the people who stand out the most, pushed me to continue writing and pushed me to follow my dreams. You may be wondering, how the act of being a teacher, could be lofted as a dream worth aspiring to. The fact is that I have wanted to inspire kids to write since I was very young. I didn’t know how I would go about doing that, but through the years, becoming a creative writing teacher has sat at the top of my list.
Through my positive influences, I was exposed to programs like Writers at Work, TheSawtooth Conference, The Lake Effect Conference, and many great poetry series that were presented across the Salt Lake Valley. Many of these opportunities gave me hands-on, up-close-and-personal, opportunities with actual authors; many of whom I now consider to be close friends.
There have also been those who have discouraged me. I had more than one college professor try to tell me that the field of teaching creative writing was too competitive and there was no money to be made. Though I wasn’t looking to make money with this profession, I had to take into account whether or not I would be able to support a family.
While working on my Bachelor’s Degree in English, I got tired of doing a lot of reading and hardly any writing. I decided at that time that it would be best for my future family if I switched to Communications and look for a career that would enable me to do what I enjoyed and make a little more cash. In the process, I gained a lot of experience in the fields of public relations, professional & technical writing, and graphic design. I completed two internships in public and media relations, including one with Real Salt Lake, during their inaugural season.
Shortly after graduating from Westminster College, with a degree in Communications, I moved to Alabama. Upon arriving in Alabama, where I had formerly served a mission, there were no jobs in my newly chosen field. Therefore, while managing an apartment complex, I pursued a Master’s Degree and soon became a teacher. Suddenly, I had found my way back to the field that I had once pursued. After graduating with my degree in Secondary English however, I soon realized that very few Alabama schools offered Creative Writing courses. I would be forced to teach English & Reading only, and would have to find ways to implement Creative Writing into my classroom. I did so, and found a lot of success. I also began teaching Drama and produced several memorable productions.
In 2012, I returned to Utah and landed a sweet job at the best high school in the State of Utah: Copper Hills. I am once again following my dreams. There have been a lot of stumbling blocks along my path thus far, but all have strengthened me and gotten me exactly where I want to be.
I have already pursued and accomplished many of my dreams while at Copper Hills. I wrote a book and completed a PhD in Creative Writing via Bangor University. My other dreams include my students. I want them to have a lot of the same exciting, writing opportunities that I did when I was young. I hope to bring many authors to my classroom and build programs that will expose my students to the many opportunities that can exist within the fields of writing.
Guest speakers Matt & Toby of Emery, Ryan Key of Yellowcard, & Brian Dunseth of Real Salt Lake.
Guest speakers so far have included writers Michael McLane, Joel Long, and Poet Laureate David Lee. Students have also learned from Tribune writers Aaron Falk & Taylor Stevens, Professional Soccer Player and TV Analyst Brian Dunseth, Musicians Matt Carter and Toby Morrell from the band Emery, Ryan Key from the band Yellowcard, local performance poets R.J. Walker, Jesse Parent, Gray Thomas, Kari Lindsey Berry, Salma Nizam, and world renown performance poets Neil Hilborn, Kevin Kantor, Ashlee Haze, Olivia Gatwood, Hanif Abdurraqib, Franny Choi, Sierra DeMulder & Good Ghost Bill.
Performance Poets Kevin Kantor, Neil Hilborn, and Good Ghost Bill Moran.
I hope to bring many more exciting speakers to my classroom each year and hopefully students will hear, witness or learn something that will change their lives. I love spending time with my wife and daughter - traveling, trying new restaurants, or having karaoke sessions in the car.