I was born in Pasadena, CA, which anyone will tell you is a very safe place to live, but in between the time I was born and where I am now, I’ve had two concussions, cracked my front tooth, split open my lip, been stung by a stingray, and broken my arm (all the way up to my shoulder). When the cast came off I had a scar on my elbow in the shape of a nipple. I have a scar on my chin where I cut it wide open falling out of bed. I have scars on my knees from playing little league as a little girl and then softball as a Panda at an all-girls high school in L.A. During one practice I blacked out and fell on my face in center field and got a scab on my upper lip in the exact shape of Hitler’s mustache. Luckily, it didn’t leave a mark.

I went to Santa Fe University of Art and Design (formerly the College of Santa Fe), where I played cricket recreationally and didn’t get hurt once. I got a B.A. in creative writing and studio art and then an M.F.A. in fiction from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

I live in Brooklyn and work as a writer and editor, a job you’d think is pretty safe, but in the past few years I’ve been thrown from my bike twice, torn my rotator cuff, and undergone minor toe surgery. Keep your fingers crossed for me.