I am a retired educator. I am also a dog lover, crocheter and stitcher, Zen practitioner, walker, and sometimes, I am a writer and poet. I love learning and often say I have either worked at or attended every university or college in the Philadelphia region.  Over the course of my life I have had numerous occupations, including waitress, rock music critic, and paralegal. In the nineties, I became a middle-aged student at the University of Pennsylvania where I received a Masters Degree in Reading/Writing/Literacy. Upon turning fifty, I accomplished what I’d wished for all my life; the completion of a work of creative non-fiction as my Master’s Project for a Masters of Arts in English. For twenty-two years I was the Director of learning support and disability services at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA. Now that my time is my own, I can read and write when I feel like it!  Some of my writing can be found in print or online. I am happy to say I’ve been published The Paterson Literary Review, Philadelphia Poets, the City Paper, the Philadelphia Weekly, and many small presses. In 2018 I started my own small press, Rosa Press, which published a book of poetry called 21 Poems, with two other poets, my friends Maria Fama and Al Tacconelli (available on Amazon). I also volunteer with my dog, Pepper (@blackpepper55 on Instagram) a therapy dog certified by Comfort Caring Canines.  Look for me in center city Philadelphia with Pepper at Rittenhouse Square or the Schuylkill River dog run.