I relish sharing work out loud, presenting and speaking in unusual ways, interacting with students, and answering unexpected questions. I also treasure working with people one-on-one.
This is not only because of the strange convergence of different interests in my life, but also because of how deeply my own practice as a writer has been shaped by the experience of taking words off the page and embodying them in life, story, conversation, and song.
Relearning Delight
My creative work grows out of more than two decades of living between worlds. I came to poetry through the back door, rediscovering it while studying Tamil and living in south India from 1998 to 2000 and during several long stays that followed.
It was my Tamil teacher, the late Dr. K. V. Ramkoti, who insisted I begin memorizing poems, which forever changed my experience of language and life. Reciting poems aloud, feeling them in my mouth and in my ears and in my body, I found anew a delight in words I’d almost lost.
So when I read, speak, teach, or perform, I draw on all my experience to share that delight in ways that can reawaken it in others.
At times this even includes elements from my past as a professional magician. (You can read more about this in my essay, “First Loves.”)
My offerings include performances, an online course on the Kural, one-on-one coaching, and courses for Cozy Grammar and Tender Leaves.
Words and Wonder
Here are a few examples of upcoming and recent talks, presentations, and workshops:
- Taller Than a Mountain, a seven-week online course on the Kural.
- A featured performance at the Singapore Tamil Language Festival in April 2023.
- A featured appearance at the Singapore Writers Festival.
- The inaugural talk for “Lyric World: Conversations with Contemporary Poets,” curated by Shin Yu Pai and presented by Town Hall Seattle and KUOW.
- A workshop for young dancers at the Sahrdaya Foundation Dance Academy, Chennai, India.
- An original show with music about the story of Sadako Sasaki for the Family Series at Vashon Center for the Arts.
- Whimsical explorations of grammar in natural settings for the Cozy Grammar series of online video courses.
Let’s Talk
Do you work with students or organize events for people and communities interested in discovering—or rediscovering—the power of words to inspire, teach, and delight us amidst turmoil and confusion?
Do you want to help make language come alive for others in ways that are both accessible and profound?
I’d be honored to meet you and to explore what I can offer the unique people and places you work with and for.
Please submit a speaker request and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can!
