PLACE + CREATIVITY
I started teaching with the University of New Mexico Honors College in 2012. Honors courses are intensive, interdisciplinary and wholly unique. In each class, I try to spark curiosity and creativity.
Scribendi
Scribendi is a nonprofit literature and art magazine produced and published at the University of New Mexico Honors College by undergraduate students. This nationally distributed magazine solicits creative work from students at 900+ honors programs and colleges. Through a yearlong award-winning course and educational internship, student staff members gain practical hands-on experience in editing, typography, graphic design, magazine layout, Adobe Creative Cloud, fundraising, marketing and distribution, and small business management. Each year, I teach “The Publication Process” and “The Making of a Magazine,” the two courses that make up the yearlong sequence.
Recent Courses
Write to Roam
Scotland Study Abroad
Using a combined approach of reflection, creation, and mapping, we explore the roles of writing and literature in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Comix Studio
Each week, we engage in playful drawing exercises, collaborate with peers, and create short comics inspired by prompts, games, and activities.
Forest Bathing
In this course, we study the science and philosophy behind forest bathing (shinrin-yoku), incorporate the practice into our own lives, invite friends into the forest, and explore more of Albuquerque and the parks and open spaces within and adjacent to the city.
Graphic Memoir
From the daily grind to life-changing experiences, comics capture our experience of what it means to be human. We read and analyze several examples of graphic memoirs, practice drawing and writing in class, and learn the process of making comics, from thumbnailing to pencils to inking.
Zines and Handmade Books
This course approaches the book both as a form of art and a means of communication. We practice the fundamentals of making books by hand, including an introduction to the tools, materials, and processes needed to craft our own books.
Graphic Medicine
Graphic Medicine is the intersection of comics and healthcare, using visual storytelling to explore experiences of illness, caregiving, disability, and medical practice. Through reading, discussion, and hands-on comics creation, we engage with graphic narratives that depict health, trauma, and healing, while also developing our own visual storytelling techniques.
Japan as Text
Kyoto Study Abroad
In this course, we explore Japanese arts and crafts at the intersection of aesthetics, ecological philosophies, and religious practices in Kyoto.
Reading and Writing the Rockies
Using the Rocky Mountains as a catalyst, we combine the disciplines of geology, geography, creative writing, fine arts, history, and anthropology to examine how landscapes can be understood and expressed. This course culminates with a two-week trip following the route of the Corps of Discovery through Montana and camping at paleontology dig sites.
Narrative Journalism
Narrative journalism has been called gonzo, the art of hanging out, full immersion, and participant journalism. Throughout this creative writing course, we develop techniques for approaching the angle of journalistic and anthropologic assignments, such as finding the telling detail, writing profiles, covering events, and characterizing place.