I am definitely a people person. I enjoy meeting new people and sharing our stories together. Whether I am traveling or helping to host(my housemate, Karen Armstrong, manages the couchsurfing at our house), I enjoy sharing space together and finding the spots where meeting up makes life that much more special.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

My partner and I are traveling the world in late 2019 and most of 2020. While we are here in the states we like to pay it forward for our own travels to come to help make travel more affordable and meaningful for us and others.

Interests

I have been a performing poet since the late 90's and currently steward the West Coast Poetry Tour, a traveling poetry show and open mic that takes place in people's homes and dance studios and tea houses and the like spreading a love of the spoken word and creating spaces of connection.

I love nature, especially in the Northwest of the United States walking through fern forests around rivers and waterfalls.

• poetry
• hiking
• history
• community living

Music, Movies, and Books

The book Pronoia Is The Antidote for Paranoia describes my sensibilities well. I love dance music and folk singers. The movie Same Time Next Year with Alan Alda has intrigued me for years.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

When I first came to Portland in 2006 I had a dream to start a swap shop, a place where families could swap books, toys and clothing and spend time together, funded like you would fund a health club, with each family contributing a monthly amount to the cost of running this community experiment in human kindness.

With the help of many great people who believed in sharing, I started and ran for many years the Sunnyside Swap Shop Co-op which later became the Southside Swap and Play which inspired other swap and plays to open up in Portland.

The experience really solidified my faith in our ability to share and care about each other. Over 700 families participated over the 5 years I ran the co-op. We also organized a yearly carnival, a large weekend useful goods exchange, a back to school clothing exchange and even a once a week restaurant for our members.

The whole experience was really amazing and was a great experience for my kids as they grew from kindergarten through to high school.

Teach, Learn, Share

I teach people how to get along better with each other as part of my job as a community organizer. I learn so much from trying to better understand others and I share what I know as often as I can so we can all be more at ease around each other.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, poems, and a happy willingness to pitch in and help out with any chores that need doing.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Costa Rica, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Switzerland

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States