I started out teaching English at the college and university level while writing novels, short stories, and children’s books. Then I went to law school, dedicated my law practice to defending people who could not afford to pay, kept writing books, took a detour into writing legal analysis for The Washington Post and other mainstream media outlets, wrote more books, and here I am.

Education:

  • University of Pennsylvania, BA Philosophy and Design
  • University of California, Davis, MA in English with an emphasis in fiction writing
  • University of California, Berkeley, JD.

Yes, I have both a law degree and a degree in fiction writing. In a piece called “From Literature to Litigation” (published in The Recorder, San Francisco’s legal newspaper), I wrote about the overlap between the practice of law and the writing of fiction. (No, it’s not because we’re all a bunch of liars!)

I found that writing for eighth and ninth graders was the perfect preparation for writing for California judges. Judges and appellate justices, like young readers, want everything clearly explained. I won’t carry the comparison too far: Eighth and ninth graders are usually more open-minded and a lot more fun.

My legal career began with criminal defense work at the trial level, then I worked exclusively as an appellate defender. For twelve years I maintained a private appellate law practice limited to representing people who had the right to appeal but could not afford to pay. (I was appointed by the appellate courts and paid through California’s general budget).

I believe that democracy requires each of us to contribute. I also believe that when the rights of society’s most vulnerable members are denied, everybody’s rights are imperiled.

When I taught literature at the college level, I came to believe that the purpose of literature is to expand our sympathies. Both my legal work and my writing have been informed by my belief in the importance of sympathy as a humanizing emotion.

My volunteer work includes:

  • Legal work for Election Protection (1-866-WE-VOTE).
  • Voter rights legal work in three states: CA, NV, and GA.
  • Working in a detention center in Texas offering legal assistance to asylum-seekers (through RAICES).
  • Researching and packaging a successful civil rights case against a California county that was violating the Indian Child Welfare Act.
  • Serving as a poll worker.

Click here to read How I Became a Voter Protection Lawyer in Georgia

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent much of my childhood and young adulthood in Missouri. I now live in San Luis Obispo on California’s beautiful central coast. In reverse order, I have also lived in:

  • San Francisco, CA
  • Sacramento, CA
  • Berkeley, CA
  • Davis, CA
  • Oakland, CA
  • Cambridge, MA
  • Acton, MA
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Columbia, MO
  • El Cajon, CA
  • St. Louis, MO

While I spend too much time in front of a screen or with my nose in a book, I try to walk at least 3 miles each day.

Thank you for your interest in me and my writing.

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