The first few years of my 52-year English teaching career were spent at the middle school level, but after finishing my PhD, I started my work as a college professor. My areas of focus have been American literature (mainly 19th century) and poetry. I've been editor and creator of several national journals, host of a NJ news show, writer and performer of a one-woman play about Emily Dickinson ("A Passion for Life"), curator and translator of a Uruguayan photography and haiku exhibition (Yale), and contributor to various inclusion programs and publications. I recently published Volume 1 of my memoirs and also have been named first Poet-Laureate in Cape May, NJ. I have a tree in our Cape May, NJ front yard on which I hang about 50 poems (on multi-colored paper) by a whole range of poets, and with posted signs I invite passers-by to simply "pick" any they like and take it/them home. Each day we (my husband John Baer--also Davenport Fellow--and I) replenish the tree at least once. The tree "blooms" all summer. I also write, host art shows for local artists in our free gallery space, garden, play tennis and golf, take beginners (pre-beginners the way I do it) tap and ballet lessons and generally enjoy life with friends and family.
