Jamaica Kincaid.  Ernest Hemingway.  Alice Munro.  These names and many, many others have influenced my writing.  I know the value of reading as a path to understanding the world around you.  And, I especially know the value of writing as a singular method to express one's thoughts.  During my time as a professor at Lehman College --- City College of New York, I helped my students find their literary voice without losing mine.