I am available to do readings from any of my books or other publications, and to speak at public events about the subjects of my books or about writing itself. I have, for example, keynoted and served on panels at conferences on international adoption and chronic illness. I often speak to college classes in history, American Studies, English and other fields that use Packinghouse Daughter as a text. I do ask for an honorarium, of course, and I’m willing to negotiate the amount. Book club visits in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area are $10 per person. Contact me at


Currently: Read about my visit to the book club at the Minnesota Correctional Facility for Women in Shakopee, MN See the article on Minnpost.com

See my recent publications:

"Teaching—and Learning—in Prison," A View from the Loft, Summer 2010. Read online

"When Women Went Public: Feminist Reforms in the 1970s,"Minnesota History, Summer 2008, pp. 62-75. Order

"Memoir Matters," in Tell Me True: Memoir, History, and Writing a Life, edited by Patricia Hampl and Elaine Tyler May, Borealis Books, 2008, pp. 147-162. Order from publisher

"Five American Memoirs", Minneapolis Star Tribune, January 11, 2009. Read here