Current
Senior Editor, Electronics
Reviewed, part of the USA Today Network
May 2021 - Present
I help oversee the tech section while specializing in laptop, hardware, and cloud gaming content.
Creative Writing Instructor
Orange County School of the Arts
Starting August 2023
Back to teaching! Game Writing in the fall, Interactive Fiction in the spring. I'm stoked!
January 2017 - May 2021
I taught writing and genre study courses like Science and Technology in Literature, Game Writing, Interactive Fiction, Cyberpunk Literature, Mystery Writing, and Urban Myths and Legends. To quote some of my students, “Ten out of ten, would take again, ” and "I'm going to miss this class."
Past
Staff Reporter, Reviews
Gizmodo
March 2020 - May 2021
I was the go-to CPU, GPU, and laptop review gal. I also reported on internet tech and policy, cloud gaming, tech lawsuits, cat gadgets, and my horrible experiences with kitchen appliances.
Game Development Advisory Board Member
Fowler School of Engineering, Chapman University
September 2020 - May 2021
Honored to have had a hand in my alma mater's long-term project of redesigning its game development minor.
Senior Assistant Fiction Editor
Abyss & Apex
January 2015 - May 2021
I read slush. I might have read your slush. Here are a few stories I pulled out of the slush pile: this, this, and this. For the record, I don’t like sending rejection letters.
Hardware Staff Writer
PC Gamer
October 2018 - March 2020
I wrote gaming desktop PC reviews, hardware how-tos, and features for PCGamer.com, PC Gamer magazine, and Maximum PC magazine. Other beats were: cloud gaming, weird hardware, The Sims 4, BlizzCon, and Vampire: The Masquerade—Bloodlines 2.
Mentor
WriteGirl
September 2014 - January 2019
Provided creative writing and college application mentoring on a volunteer basis. Planned monthly workshops for underserved high school students who lacked access to the same or similar resources at their schools. (Picking up where state and federal funding leave many low-income students behind!)
Freelancer
May 2015 - October 2018
I spent most of my time reviewing video games and managing the reviews sections for a few independent games outlets, and doing QA/mock reviews for all-inclusive games PR companies.
Founder + Managing Editor
Anastamos
May 2016 - May 2017
With a few other graduate students, I built an interdisciplinary graduate journal from scratch, launched our first issue in both digital and print, and even took a few trips to the east coast to promote the journal and sit on a panel. It was awesome.
Publicity Manager + Editor
Calliope Art & Literary Magazine
May 2015 - May 2016
I organized calls for submissions, designed flyers, improved the magazine's presence on our college campus, reviewed fiction and poetry submissions—you know, the usual.
Education
Chapman University
MFA Creative Writing
2014 - 2017
National University of Ireland, Galway
MA Screenwriting
2010 - 2011
University of Redlands
BA English: Writing
2005 - 2009
Memberships
Writers Guild of America, East
2020 - Present
Horror Writers Association
2017 - Present
Notable Awards
California Arts Scholar
2004