I am the product of two diasporas, second-generation Lithuanian-American and third-generation Irish-American. I grew up in southern California eating burritos and listening to Mariachi before floating to New Orleans on a raft.

I operate as a community member in New Orleans in many capacities—poet and literary event organizer, barber-in-a-bar, and energy healer on call. Arriving in New Orleans in 2007 via a raft down the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, I washed up on the open mic stages of the 17 Poet Literary Series and Maple Leaf readings, running writing groups and other music and poetry events, eventually co-organizing the annual literary events of Ladyfest New Orleans for five years.

I continue the 25 year legacy of Royal St Bar’s Monday Night Barber, and am myself in my 11^th year there, a position that holds its own in keeping New Orleans entertainment culture alive. Operating as a Reiki healer for two decades, I offer sessions and classes out of my home and other local venues.