Education      

Ph.D., English & Creative Writing, May 2026                                                    

Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

Designated Emphasis: Indigenous and Latine Studies

Committee: Katie Cortese (Chair), Marcus Burke, Sara Spurgeon

Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing, Fiction, June 2020                                                 

University of California, Riverside

Thesis: “East of Salinas”, A Novel

Committee: Michael Jayme (Chair), Laila Lalami, Nalo Hopkinson, Alex Espinoza

Bachelor of Arts in Science, Technology, and Society, May 2015

Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY

Research & Teaching Fields

Latine Literature, Creative Writing, Writing Pedagogy, Literary Publishing & Editing, Digital Humanities, Public Humanities, Indigenous Studies, Critical Pedagogy, Speculative Fiction, Horror Studies, Archival Recovery

Publications

Fiction

“Romeo, Julietta, y Emilia,”Passages North, Issue 48, Spring 2027

“American Magic,”Broken Antler Magazine, June 2024

“Indian Blood,” A Night of Screams: Latino Horror Stories, edited by Richard Santos, Arte Público Press, June 2023

“The Wrestler,”The Monterey County Weekly: Pride Edition, October 2019

“Pieces,”Acentos Review, August, 2017

Non-Fiction

“En Serio,” Flash Fiction Magazine, January 2026

“two little brown girls,” Taco Bell Quarterly, August 2021

“Blusas,” under the gum tree, January 2018

Poetry

“cardboard fieldworkers,”8 Poems, October 2020

Book Reviews

“Loca,” Iron Horse Literary Review, August 2025

“I’m Not Hungry But I Could Eat,”Latino Book Review, April 2022

Interviews

“In the Saddle with Emily Doyle,” Iron Horse Literary Review, Fall 2026

“From the Horses Mouth with Beatriz Brenes,” Iron Horse Literary Review, Spring 2025

“In the Saddle with Edgar Gomez,” Iron Horse Literary Review, Fall 2025

“In the Saddle with Alejandro Heredia,” Iron Horse Literary Review, Spring 2025

“Totally Grounded,”LA Review of Books, April 2020

Accepted Talks

"Pathways of Resistance: Education, Solidarity, and Agency in a Time of Crisis"
Latinx Studies Association Conference, March, 2026

"Monstrous Justice: Gothic and Horror Minority Literature"
Crossing Latinidades Symposium, March, 2026

“Haunting Narratives: Memory, Violence, and Decolonial Storytelling in Fiction and Pedagogy”
Excite the Dream, Old Dominion University, January, 2025

“Recovering Laws and Histories of Inequality in the U.S. Southwest"

Crossing Latinidades Symposium. UT Austin. August, 2024

“Haunting as an Act of Justice: Indigenous Women in Horror”

Festival of Monsters. UC Santa Cruz. October, 2023

“Valuing the Process: Effort Based Grading in Creative Writing”

Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers. Texas Tech. September 2023

“Who Gets to Tell Our Stories: Analyzing Power and Ethics of Storytelling”

Association of Writers and Writing Programs, March, 2022

Invited Talks

“Storytelling as Medicine”

Medicine Ways Conference. The University of California, Riverside, April 2021

w/ Allison Hedgecoke, Kyrie Eleison

Invited Workshops

“Finding Outside Funding as a Graduate Student”

Department of English, Texas Tech University, February 2025

“Teaching Practices for Graduate Instructors”

First-Year Writing Program, Texas Tech University, August 2022

“Incorporating Equitable Teaching Strategies for Creative Writing”

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, UC Riverside October 2019

“Finding Balance as a Graduate Student”

Graduate Division, UC Riverside August 2019

Readings

“Dust Coast Reading Series”

Texas Tech University, February 2024 (Lubbock, TX)

“Reading from A Night of Screams: Latino Horror Stories with Richard Santos”

Texas Tech University, September 2023 (Lubbock, TX)

“Emerging: Offsite at AWP”

Hosted by Natalie Lima at The Raven Lounge, Philadelphia, PA, March 24, 2022

“LHUCA Literary Reading Series”

Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, December 2021

“LIVE ON INSTAGRAM: UC Riverside MFA Students read their work!”

Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA, April 29th, 2020

“UC RIVERSIDE MFA STUDENTS READ FROM THEIR WORK”

Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CA, April 28th, 2019

“MFA Reading Series”

University of California, Riverside, October 25th, 2018

Teaching Experience

Graduate Instructor, Texas Tech University, August 2020 - May 2026

Creative Writing: Fiction—1 section
Introduction to Creative Writing—4 sections
Advanced College Rhetoric—3 sections
Essentials of College Rhetoric—5 sections

Teaching Assistant, University of California, Riverside, September 2019 - June 2020

Introduction to Fiction—1 section
Introduction to Creative Writing—1 section
Cool & Exciting Contemporary Fiction—1 section

Other Experience

Assistant Director, August 2022 - May 2023

First-Year Writing Program, Texas Tech University

Assistant Director, May 2018 - July 2018

Voices of Monterey Bay, Salinas, CA

Crafted lessons & led discussions on journalism writing for low-income high school students. Edited stories & prepared them for print and online publication.

Tutoring Center Instructor, September 2017- May 2018

Oakland High School, Oakland, CA

Led classes through lectures, discussions, and individual assignments. Supported students who needed extra instruction one-on-one or in small groups.

Editorial Assistant, May 2017- May 2018

Mosaic Journalism Workshop, San Jose, CA

Crafted lessons & led discussions on journalism writing for low-income high school students. 

Assistant Teacher, AP English, August 2016 - May 2017

Alisal High School, Salinas, CA

Prepared lectures and class activities focusing on English Composition for students at various levels of English Fluency. 

Service Experience

Texas Tech University

First-Year Writing Planning Committee , 2021 - Present

University of California, Riverside

Liaison and Workshop Leader for the Office of Diversity, 2019 - 2020

Organized creative writing readings for graduate students, 2018 - 2020

Graduate Student Mentor, 2018 - 2020

Editorial Experience

Iron Horse Review

Associate Prose Editor, 2020 - Present

Santa Ana River Review

Fiction Editor, 2019 - 2020

Assistant Fiction Editor, 2018 - 2019

Awards and Fellowships

  • Sowell Collection Essay Contest, 2022
    First place for the graduate student division of Texas Tech University’s Sowell Collection essay contest.

  • Chancellor’s Diversity Fellow, 2019
    Learned strategies for inclusive education and led workshops for departments at UCR as a representative of the Office of Diversity.

  • Pushcart Prize Nominee, 2019
    Nominated by under the gum tree for “Blusas”

  • Gluck Fellowship, 2018
    Taught poetry to elementary school students in underserved communities.

  • Questbridge Scholar, 2011
    Admitted to Vassar College as one of eight National College Matches