I was born and raised in Kansas City, Mo. I currently live in a suburb of Portland, OR. I am the youngest of seven and an Auntie and Great Auntie to too many to count . In 1996 I earned my BA in English Literature and a minor in Philosophy from Rockhurst University. In 2015 I became a certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant from Hawthorn University. As a young woman I dreamed of being a poet and the dream continues. I was supported in this choice by my late husband who was a musician and my parents. In my younger years my influences were the confessional poets. I still enjoy them but find my spirituality which is Native way, Lakota, my life experiences, and the natural world are my muses.