the story i’m writing in the world

I am a Diné writer, educator, and arts advocate whose work lives at the intersections of English & Navajo, international literature, and the long continuities of Indigenous storytelling. I move through teaching, editing, research, and literary translation with a commitment to the relationality between languages, peoples, and the stories that bind us.

Skilled in communication and project stewardship, I help shape community-based arts initiatives that honor collective knowledge, shared presence, and the responsibilities we carry to one another.

curriculum vitae

carried practices

  • Canva & Basic Video Editing (Premiere)

  • Public Speaking & Community Engagement

  • Proofreading & Copyediting

  • Cross-Cultural Literary Understanding

  • Adobe Creative Suite

  • Literary Editing & Translation

  • Secondary & College-Level Teaching

  • Research & Curriculum Development

  • Content Management Systems (CMS)

  • Google Suite, Microsoft Excel

education

Institute of American Indian Arts - Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Poetry at Sante Fe, NM

Arizona State University - Bachelor of Arts in English, Summa Cum Laude, at Tempe, AZ

Glendale Community College - Associate of Applied Sciences in Video Production Technology at Glendale, AZ

teaching

ASU Art Museum, Tempe, AZ — Workshop Leader, 8/2024–Present

  • Facilitate specially curated workshops tied to the “Tierras Reimaginadas: Migration” exhibition, exploring migration as a life-giving force rooted in ecology, kinship, ritual, and creative endurance.

  • Lead dialogic sessions that invite participants to re-frame movement: across borders, ecosystems, and cultural histories.

  • Help build relational learning experiences that connect community members, artists, and Indigenous perspectives through storytelling, visual literacy, and collective reflection

Piper Center for Creative Writing, Tempe, AZ - Teaching Artist - 8/2023 - Present

  • Designed and delivered workshops on poetry, screenwriting, and cultural narrative.

  • Facilitated classroom discussions incorporating global and Indigenous literature.

Washington State University-Vancouver, Vancouver, Washington - Visiting Writer - March 2025

  • Guest-taught courses in creative writing and participated in poetry readings.

Emerging Dine Writer’s Institute, Crownpoint, NM - 2023 Screenwriting Faculty, 7/2023

  • Led screenwriting classes centered on Indigenous storytelling traditions.

editorial & leadership experience

Diné Kids Film Club, Phoenix, AZ - Film & Multimedia Director - 10/2024–Present

  • Lead the inaugural Virtual Summer Camp, a set of youth-centered film and media workshops that nurture creative confidence, cultural grounding, and collaborative storytelling.

  • Guide students through scriptwriting, filming, and editing processes, emphasizing Indigenous narrative frameworks and relational ways of seeing.

  • Cultivate a supportive learning environment where filmmaking becomes a tool for language, identity, and connection.

  • Manage production workflows and digital assets while mentoring emerging filmmakers in both technical skills and creative expression.

Chapter House Journal, Santa Fe, NM - Editor-in-Chief - 7/2025-Present

Chapter House Journal, Santa Fe, NM - Poetry Editor - 7/2024-5/2025

Thousand Languages Project, Tempe, AZ - Specials Project Intern - 1/2023-5/2023

  • Created The Landscapes of Languages project, a multilingual community poem made entirely by words and phrases submitted by participants that aims to deepen an appreciation of Indigenous lands and language.

  • Assisted in translation projects and editorial tasks for international literary works.

community projects

ni’hikeyah tʼáá jííkʼe, all free nations, todas las naciones libres: migratory in verse - Arizona - Project Lead & Curator, 8/2024 - 6/2025 - Online

  • Developed a critical-creative project that reimagines political rhetoric through collaborative poetry, transforming narratives of violence into opportunities for compassion and collective reflection. ni’hikeyah tʼáá jííkʼe, all free nations, todas las naciones libres: migratory in verse engages democratic ideals by critiquing and reconstructing power, illuminating the emotional and human dimensions of conflict, and offering new pathways for understanding connection across communities.

Multicultural Community Poem for DAACBI Anthology – Home Dę́ę́ Naashá, New Mexico - Organizer - 2/2024 - 5/2024 - Abalone Mountain Press

  • Coordinated community poetry initiative reflecting diverse voices and languages.