I was born and raised in St. Louis, MO in a family of nine brothers and sisters, plus one nephew raised by my mother. Went to school in the city in the historical Ville Neigborhood, attending Simmons Elementary, Turner Middle School, and Sumner High (where Arthur Ashe attended as well). I fell into writing very young keeping a diary, and then later several journals of short stories and poems. I currently live and teach in Dallas, Texas. I know not a bastion of diversity and culture inclusion, but it is where I am for the moment.