lockwood5

Born in Frankfort, Kentucky and graduating with a B.A. in English from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, I'm a "Southern" girl living in the Pacific Northwest. Writing is the gift I was given in my DNA as my grandmother was a FABULOUS, though unpublished, poet and my mother is also a writer as well as the BEST copy editor in the world.

I come by writing quite honestly, and I've used (and in my younger days abused) the talent to get ahead in all sorts of ways. Despite that, I'm not what I would classify as "ahead" when it comes to being recognized for my writing. I've earned plenty of recognition over the years (I was one of only three writers out of my eighth grade class earning the highest of four ranks (as defined by the Kentucky Education Reform Act). I was selected as one of 20 out of 200 who auditioned to attend the 1996 Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts (GSA) in creative writing. I submitted a poem that was selected for inclusion in the first ever Magnetic Poetry Book of Poetry.) but you still won't find my name on any published manuscript or collection and that's what I'm rigorously trying to change at this point.

Between 2003 and 2006, I attended well over 100 hours of community group critique courses in both poetry and prose put on by The Muse of Norfolk, Virginia (www.the-muse.org). That experience built on the seed that was planted in me at the 1996 Kentucky GSA, and from all those hours, I've developed a thick professional skin when it comes to my writing as well as a honed critiquing eye for others' writing.

Right now, it's all about the push toward publishing for me. I have a good two decades worth of writing waiting to be polished and submitted. In addition, never before have I focused so keenly on producing new writing all the time. I'm switched on and ready to take the next step!