community

Writers for Democratic Action is an organization which stands for democracy and freedom for all. I have served since 2020 on WDA’s National Steering Committee. Now more than ever, writers must resist the encroachment of fascism in our nation, and champion democracy. See our mission statement.

I serve as Chair for the TEXAS Chapter of Writers for Democratic Action. If you are a writer living and working Texas, and concerned about the many issues confronting Texas under our current state leadership, please JOIN US!

I was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2019. I have served on the TIL selection panels for the 2018 Soeurette Diehl Frasier Translation Award and the 2019 Helen C. Smith Memorial Award for Best Book of Poetry, and will serve on the panel selecting the 2025 Jones Fellowship that awards $9,000 to fund the completion of a literary work of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction.

Compassionate Houston, founded in 2011, is dedicated to growing the compassionate culture of Greater Houston through awareness, education, community, and service. Since 2021 I have served as one of three Houston artists, with musician Kenneth Gayle and visual artist Sneha Bhavsar, supporting Compassionate Houston’s development of a Compassion Through the Arts program which aligns with my belief in the transformative power of the arts to deepen our experience of human empathy and compassion, both personally and culturally.

I had the great honor of working with the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Houston Public Library from 2015 to May, 2017, as part of the Houston Poet Laureate program. Mayors Annise Parker and Sylvester Turner were wonderful to work with!

Basket Books & Art, in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, opened in 2022. Basket, named for Gertrude Stein’s poodle, is owned by Laura Hughes and Edwin Smalling and combines their love of art and literature. The first floor houses a wonderfully diverse selection of books, and the second floor offers an exhibition space for both local and global visual artists. It’s a beautifully welcoming venue, and I’m especially grateful for their support of POETRY: local and national poets, the readings they host, and the many volumes of poems appearing on their shelves!