I write to make sense of places where diverse cultures -- or nature and culture -- collide, intermingle, and find grace. Visit my publications page to learn more about my literary nonfiction (and a few academic essays from a former life) available in print and online. 

I live in Oregon, sometimes in a yurt near Hells Canyon and sometimes in Portland. In 2009, I received an Individual Artist Fellowship award from the Oregon Arts Commission.  If you want more of the nitty gritty, check the about page.

My main project these days is finishing Sacred Threads, an ethnographic memoir about being a mother, daughter-in-law, wife, and anthropologist in the plains of Nepal. There's a brief description on the Sacred Threads page and information on where you can find published excerpts.

I provide occasional updates on my writing odyssey in the news section.  It's rather sparse since I'd rather write than write about writing, but I may change the format soon to make it livelier.  I do post regularly on biodiversity, kitchen gardening, yurt living, poetry, and the daily rounds that inspire -- and distract me from -- my writing at Yips and Howls,