I was born in Milwaukee and grew up in the Arkansas Ozarks. I graduated from the University of Arkansas, earned my master’s degree in library science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and served as that university’s rare book librarian. After moving to Cleveland Heights over forty years ago, I earned a second master’s degree (in American studies from Case Western Reserve University) and then began a 35-year career at the Cleveland Institute of Art, first as special collections librarian and then as library director. During my time at the Institute, I curated the Institute’s nationally-known collection of books made by artists (“artists’ books”). I loved working with and learned so much from the Institute’s amazing artists, so after retiring, I began to take ceramics classes for my own artistic exploration.