About

Hello! My name is Olivia, and I’m still on the search for the perfect headshot to display here. I’m a former teacher, former regional newspaper reporter, beginning freelancer, and full-time nerd. I’m in the process of getting back into education, and I’m so excited to have a classroom again. Meanwhile, I’ve been writing a newsletter, a novel, and assorted short pieces.

Since a young age, I’ve been fascinated by storytelling and the process behind it in many forms, from the dance school’s production of The Wizard of Oz to the behind-the-scenes featurettes on these new things called DVDs. When I was 10 or 11, my parents thought it was fine that I watched repeats of Seinfeld with them, and I was amazed at the absurdity and how the “nothing” threads still all came together at the end of an episode. While books have been my thing since learning to read at four and my declaration that I was going to be an author in kindergarten, they have not been all that interested me, and I’ve allowed myself to explore multimedia more recently. In ninth grade, I was reading literary analyses online of Doctor Who episodes starting in the 1960s, and let’s just say I wound up writing my research paper on “postmodernism” for English class that year.

Now, I gravitate toward the middle grade and young adult books I wish I had when I was younger and trying to figure everything out; boundary-pushing and fourth-wall-breaking theatre experiences, especially musicals; TV shows that blend the real and the surreal, the comedy and the drama; personal essays, memoirs, and media analysis focused on processing the self and the world; and stand-up comedy that breaks the mold with impeccable word choice and timing.

I’m not particularly picky about genre and actually love genre-blending and surrealism. I tend to infuse my writing with what I’ve learned and observed as well as communicating with others, and right now the best fit for that tends to be realistic middle grade and YA. I think it’s such an important phase of life, and there are so many important perspectives to explore.

I’m a Spring 2020 graduate of Indiana University (Bloomington), majoring in English Secondary Education and Creative Writing (technically a minor). I also achieved a reading license addition and participated in the Global Gateway for Teachers program, though due to COVID-19 I was unable to finish with student teaching in Wales.

Other places you can find me

• Goodreads (where I regularly update my reading, rate and mini-review books, and try to find and add every book I’ve ever read in the edition I read it)
• Twitter (updates, mini rambles, threads, life things. This is where I am most active!)
• Instagram (for bookish pictures)
• Redbubble (formerly experimented mostly with typography of favorite quotes)

Professional Memberships

• National Council of Teachers of English (2020-2021)
• Indiana State Teacher’s Association/National Education Association (2020-2021)
• Indiana Student Education Association (2017-2019; attended the Rising Educator Conference in 2017 and 2018)
• Kappa Delta Pi (honor society for students of education, 2017-2020)

Tweets by booksnbigideas