After serving ten years as the Graduate Programs Coordinator in the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of English in Richmond, I took a position in the fall of 2006 as Assistant Professor of English at VCUQ in Doha, Qatar. At VCUQ, I teach first- and second-year writing, sophomore literature, and junior-level writing in the workplace. I also continue writing both fiction and nonfiction, and I serve as a contributing editor of Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts. My first year has so far been a rewarding one, and I hope to be here for many more.

VCU School of the Arts in Qatar was established by Virginia Commonwealth University and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development to provide the highest level of design education and training for the citizens of Qatar, the Arabian Gulf region and beyond. The degree programs combine contemporary approaches to design adapted to the cultures of the region. Virginia Commonwealth University is one of 84 leading Research Universities in the United States with one of the nation's great schools of the arts and design.

The purpose of VCU School of the Arts in Qatar is to offer students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communication Arts and Design, Fashion Design and Merchandising, or Interior Design. Through experienced teachers and a comprehensive four-year curriculum, the college nurtures creativity and innovation and develops the technical skills necessary for demonstrating that creativity. Graduates who earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree are prepared to assume careers and leadership roles in the professional field of their choice.