She earned a BA in American studies from Yale University, then moved to New York City where she studied writing at the New School and the Writers Studio. She subsequently proceeded to complete an MFA from University of California at Irvine, and a Ph.D. from University of Utah. During this time, she worked at a variety of jobs--bartender, development researcher at the Brooklyn Museum, as well as facilitating poetry study and summer travel to Europe and Central America. Besides attending as many poetry readings as she could, she developed into an avid dance and music performance attendee, became interested in the visual arts, often going to five or six events a week. Her immersion in the avant-garde art world of the 1980s allowed her to understand the benefits of a vibrant art community and the role of an artist within one.