I was born in Lübeck, Germany. When I was 2 years old, my family emigrated from post-war Germany under the sponsorship of the International Rescue Committee. We settled in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, where my father taught medical school and ran a cancer research lab together with my mother. We returned to Germany several times for short periods and I attended public school both there and in the US. After earning a BA in Art History and German at the University of Minnesota, I earned an MA in German at Princeton University. I wrote a dissertation on paintings in German literature but did not defend it. Instead, I caught the high technology wave and moved to Boston where I earned a certificate in electronics at the Women’s Technical Institute and then worked in hardware and software development until 2013. Most recently I was an information developer at Oracle, but decided to retire early because I came to find the sedentary stasis of computer work intolerable.

For several years I served on the board of the Center for New Words, and am dedicated to causes fighting for equality for women and girls. From early childhood I have been involved with painting and drawing, and making Ukrainian batik eggs every Spring. I played violin and viola during my school years. As an adult I studied oboe for several years, and most recently I’ve begun learning to play the cello. I live with my partner of many years and enjoy the company of a wonderful circle of close friends.