Joanna is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the recipient of many awards, including the Iowa Book Prize and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. A former professor, she has served as a full-time faculty member at Pennsylvania State University and Franklin & Marshall College, where she taught English and Creative Writing. Currently, she works one-on-one with students to help them develop and refine the skills needed for success in high school and college writing. She also teaches private courses in non-fiction, fiction, and poetry writing. Currently, she’s coaching 8 private students in writing their personal statement and supplemental essays for college admission. She is also teaching a course in the personal statement for international students applying to U.S. institutions of higher education. 

Joanna works with neurodiverse students of all ages.