Headlands Center for the Arts

Artist Statement

I have published two books, a story collection called “Rainbow Rainbow” and a novel called “Songs of No Provenance.” My work examines the complex realities of queer and trans lives, taking on a political imperative to detail nuanced and unfamiliar topics such as queer conception and parenthood, liminal or uncertain identities, and queer joy. My work moves beyond the cookie cutter depictions of queer people that have long been the only representations made room for by publishing: stories of disclosure and coming out, stories of AIDS and suicide. The novel I will work on at Headlands dives deeper into themes of nonbinary trans identity, gender dysphoria, and questions of ethics around art-making.

While at Headlands

At Headlands, I will focus on completing my next novel, a literary thriller about a destructive affair. The novel follows a nonbinary academic dealing with their relationship to gender and sex. I hope to finish a draft of the novel while at Headlands, after maintaining a rigorous schedule of revision. Getting to have a studio and getting to be immersed in gorgeous nature will be crucial for my process, which is bolstered by quiet and natural beauty. I look forward to getting a break from full-time teaching to sink deeply into this novel and take it to completion.

“Laramie Time”

Excerpt from “Songs of No Provenance”

“Pioneer”

“Last Time We Spoke”