I was born in Berkeley, California and grew up bi-coastally, between NorCal and NYC. I spent the bulk of my formative years lurking the streets going to punk and metal shows until the closure of some of the more definitive clubs like Ruthie’s Inn, The Mab, and The Farm. Last summer, I was interviewed for a punk rock oral history project that’s slated to be published in 2009.
My academic interests vary widely, from Native/Indigenous studies, motherhood, and religion to popular culture, film, music, travel/tourism, and more. My interests in film and Native/Indigenous Studies started at Mills College where I investigated the deconstruction of the Western genre in Jim Jarmusch’s “Dead Man.” I continued my studies at Humboldt State University after serving as Managing Editor for Fabula Magazine in San Francisco for a year. At HSU I investigated the Indigenous Diaspora in Academics, and then went on to study Neoshamanism in Northern California at the University of California in Santa Cruz. At UCSC I received my Ph.D. in Sociology with a Parenthetical Notation in American Studies in 2005. I’ve taught in Interdisciplinary Studies, Sociology, Native American Studies, and Cultural/Historical Studies Programs at several colleges and universities in California, Oregon, and Washington State. At present, I am the Sociology Program Chair at Bellevue College just outside of Seattle.
I am Programmer for the annual American Indian Film Festival at BCC each year and serve as Area Co-Chair for Native/Indigenous Studies for the Southwest/Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association’s Annual Regional Meetings and am the Editor-In-Chief for Native Realities, the online journal of Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers. I also serve on the College Governance Board for Speak Out! Speakers and Artists. I am a published author and poet and I do the occasional rock n’ roll interview as well.
Check out my Blog!
- Native Realities
- American Indian Film Festival
- Pop/American Culture Assn. Regional Meetings
- Poetry
- Academic Publications
- Upcoming Speaking Engagements
- Future Publications and Projects
- Curriculum Vitae
- Courses Taught
- Sample Syllabi and Assignments
