I have been a words person all of my life. Even as a very young child, I enjoyed stories from all angles—listening to them, telling them, reading them, writing them.

I became passionate about writing when I realized the incredible power of words laid down on paper. My childhood in small town Mississippi did not afford many avenues for empowerment, so when I discovered I had a facility for words, I grabbed the chance to hone my skills to master the craft of writing.

I went first to Northeastern University for a B.A. degree in journalism. I wanted to be “the eyes and ears of the public” and write news stories. With my B.A. in hand, I worked as a newspaper reporter and editor for publications such as the Boston Globe. Later I shifted to become a public relations specialist (PR), writing and editing during stints in the Communications Offices at Boston College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After a move from Massachusetts to California, I worked in PR for a computer company in Silicon Valley.

My passion for teaching writing came when I began to understand that others need to tell their own stories, and I needed to get back to telling the kind of creative stories that stoked my love of words in the first place. So, I headed back to college.

This time I attended graduate school at Mills College to steep myself in the study of literature and creative writing, and to study writing pedagogy to teach others to write well—both fiction and nonfiction.  

After obtaining my Master of Fine Arts (MFA), I taught literature, fiction, and nonfiction writing as a tenured faculty member at West Valley College in California for 25 years. Also, I taught graduate fiction workshops as a visiting faculty member in the MFA program at the Mississippi University for Women.

During my years of teaching creative writing to undergraduate and graduate students, I had short stories and essays published in literary journals, and my first novel, Mulberry, was published. Mulberry won the Lee Smith Novel Prize and an Independent Publisher Book Award and was a finalist in several other important book competitions.

In addition to my knowledge and experience as a writer and writing teacher, I am also a meditation teacher. I had been a meditator for about 20 years when I realized that meditation might prove helpful for other creatives as well.

Again, I became a student. This time, I attended a Meditation Teacher Training course at Meru Seminary (now Meru Institute) and received certification to lead others in meditation.

I sometimes blend meditation instruction with writing instruction in my workshops. This can be a magical combination.

Currently, I’m working on writing more novels, short stories, and essays, and I’m sharing my wealth of knowledge about the writing craft with other motivated and aspiring fiction and creative nonfiction writers.

~Paulette

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