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youth workshops

I began my teaching career in 1993 when I was hired as writer-in-residence at Writers In The Schools (WITS). With WITS, I taught residencies around the city in schools such as Sutton Elementary, McReynolds Middle School, The Menil Collection and MD Anderson Cancer Center. In 1994, WITS contracted me to teach creative writing and journalism at the brand new The Rice School/ La Escuela Rice.  I loved my work through WITS, but I also wanted more long-term connection with students. In 1997, I accepted a full-time position with HISD and for five years, I taught in the HISD system, first at a charter school Project Chrysalis, and then at Jones Vanguard High School (now Carnegie HS) with an amazing team of teachers and students.

While teaching at Jones HS, I began Voices Breaking Boundaries, that was funded by personal artist grants through the Houston Arts Alliance (then CACHH). In May 2002, I quit my teaching job, and began offering multidisciplinary youth workshops at Sharpstown HS and Furr HS. Also, while at Jones, I offered a special workshop, Making Noise, through Inprint Inc for teenage girls. We met on Saturday mornings and the girls wrote on issues they didn’t share in more public spaces.

I currently offer workshops for adults, high school and college students around the US and in Pakistan. To book a workshop, please contact me through Voices Breaking Boundaries.

Aug 2009
Express Yourself: A Writing | Blogging | Video workshop for Pakistani college and high school women, Houston, TX. This project was run through Voices Breaking Boundaries and funded by St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities.
Jan 2009
Reading and talk at Fatima Jinnah Women’s University, Rawalpindi and Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan. (Organized by the US Embassy)

Oct 2008
Women’s empowerment workshop, Duke University’s Women’s Center, Durham, NC.

Jul 2007
Reading and talk at University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan.

Spring 2007
VBB literary instructor for Showcase of Poetry/Prose, Art and Music (SPAM!), Lee High School, Houston, TX.

Fall 2005 VBB literary instructor for Showcase of Poetry/Prose, Art and Music (SPAM!), Lee High School, Houston, TX.

Summer 2005
VBB literary instructor and administrator for Retelling Histories, a collaborative project between VBB, Youth Advocates and Project Row Houses at Lee High School, Houston, TX.

Spring 2004
VBB literary instructor for Writing Workshop for Vietnamese Youth at Vietnamese Cultural Center, through Inprint Inc. Houston, TX.

Spring 2004
VBB performance instructor for La Voz Femenina, Project Row Houses, Houston, TX.

Summer 2003
VBB project administrator of Multi-Disciplinary Workshop and performance, Furr High School, Houston, TX.

Spring 2003
VBB performance instructor for La Voz Femenina, Lee High School, Houston, TX.

Fall 2002–Spring 2003
VBB literary instructor and administrator of Multi-Disciplinary Elective at Furr High School, Houston, TX.

Summer 2002
VBB literary instructor and administrator of Multi-Disciplinary Summer After-School Program at Sharpstown High School, Houston, TX.

Fall 1999 –Summer 2002 Writing instructor for Making Noise, a writing workshop for young women, Inprint Inc., Houston, TX.