I am an Alabama native (Montgomery), and moved back to Alabama in 2004 after having lived for many years in Athens, Georgia and Austin, Texas. I have taught British and American Literature along with Rhetoric & Composition on the college level at both the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Birmingham-Southern College, and also at the UAB Business School in Business Communications.

I have freelance edited professionally for several grant writing companies, the UAB School of Engineering, and was an editor/staff writer for Flagpole Magazine in Athens, Georgia in the 90's. I joined the faculty at ASFA in 2010 and since then have taught English 11 (American Modernism), English 8 and English 7 (World Literature). In 2015 I was named a U.S. Presidential Scholars Program's Distinguished Teacher. I have both a B.A. and M.A. with Honors in English from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and am a member of Sigma Tau Delta/National English Honor Society. I've also been proud to teach several writing workshops outside of ASFA at the Desert Island Supply Company in the Woodlawn community here in Birmingham. This past summer, I contributed an essay on The Great Gatsby to a forthcoming small press collection on counterculture literature--details forthcoming!

Prior to entering the world of teaching, I was a professional touring musician/songwriter, and I still move in those worlds when time allows (and I'm the father of a hurricane of a six-year old, so 'time' is a finite resource!). As such, I still work on both my original material and do commercial work (both as a writer and session musician) occasionally here in Birmingham at Boutwell Studios. Most recently, my co-write of "Tuscaloosa--The One & Only" was chosen by Tuscaloosa Tourism & Sports as their commercial theme song/brand. I also released a solo album on Athens, Georgia independent label Ghostmeat Records in 2015 called We Are Nighttime Travelers. Bonus points if you know where the title came from! I'm also a regular co-writer with New West recording artist Randall Bramblett and contributed to his new album Pine Needle Fire, released in 2021.