Teaching and Curriculum Design

Norma brings over two decades of experience in educational design, grounded in both theory and

practice. Whether in classrooms, community spaces, or national conferences, her teaching is

shaped by care, context, and collaboration.

• M.A. in Education with a focus on adult learning theory and practice
• Certified educator with California Poets in the Schools
• Instructor for after-school programs through Bay Area Community Resources and  Saint Theresa School (Oakland)
• Former faculty at UC Berkeley’s Oral History Center summer symposium

• Norma designs and facilitates learning experiences in:
• Educational institutions (K–12 and higher  ed)
• Community-based programs and nonprofits
• Medical and wellness settings
• National and international conferences

Each offering is built with a deep understanding of pedagogy, and tailored to the needs of the

audience and environment.

 My workshops are shaped by the needs of each setting, always rooted in liberatory pedagogy (recognizing social power dynamics), narrative theory, collaboration, and care. I’ve designed and facilitated sessions for writers, educators, healthcare professionals, and community organizers as well as youth.

• Poetry & Prose Writing
• Narrative Medicine
• Cultural Humility & Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression
• Multilingual & Multicultural Pedagogy
• Bilingual Storytelling 

• Narrative in Multiple Genres – Mills Oakland Writers Workshop (MOWW)
• Narrative Medicine – For Kaiser Permanente’s Ethics Committee, the Colorado
• Healthcare Ethics Forum (international conference), and Kehilla Community Synagogue
• Teaching Poetry (Grades 5–12) – Intro to Poetry and Bilingual Poetry strategies
• Cultural Humility for Healthcare Workers – Kaiser Permanente Hospital
• Introduction to Radio Production – Bilingual community workshops
• Being Who You Are in Your Poems—Alameda Island Poets workshop

Let’s collaborate! I can work with you to design a custom workshop that meets the needs of your

group or organization—with age-appropriate methods, community-centered values, and a

curriculum built to last.

 As the founding director of The Edge of Each Other’s Battles Project, I’ve created and curated

panels that bring community-based research into academic and public settings. This work is

grounded in the belief that community researchers are the rightful narrators and analysts of their

own stories—often the very stories that scholars draw from without direct accountability.

My organizing experience includes local and national conferences, academic gatherings, and

activist-centered events. Below are selected examples of my contributions:

• Home Truths: Challenges in Interviewing Homeless People
• Expansive Data Collection, Focused Analysis: Using Oral History and Grounded Theory
• Voice Lessons: Maintaining a Respectful Tone and a Critical Stance in Oral History Interviews
• Program Committee Co-Chair, Annual Conference
• Welcome to Oakland: The Next Generation of Oral Historians
• Transforming Communities: Sharing Stories from the Margins

• Chair, Site Resource Committee, annual conference
• Challenges to Umoja: Africans and African Americans in Oakland
• The InterTribal Friendship House: Oral History as Transnational Indigenous Activism
• Curating Community: Navigating Between the Museum World and the Communities Museums Bring Together

• From Smashing Racism to Managing Diversity: A Critical Meditation on Anti-Racism and Diversity Training
• The Edge of Each Other’s Battles Project

• Curated poetry readings in support of grassroots efforts to close immigration prisons in Northern California.

• Served on interdisciplinary doctoral committees
• Mentored doctoral students in Narrative Psychology, Women’s Studies, Cultural Studies,
• Creative Writing, and Adult Sexuality Education
• Peer reviewer and editor for social medicine articles in The Permanente Journal
• Writing coach for high school students through The WriterCoach Connection

My role as an editor or writing coach is to help you clarify and refine your own voice. I bring

deep listening, cross-disciplinary fluency, and a commitment to guiding writers toward

expression that is both coherent and beautiful.

Whether you are shaping a personal narrative, an academic manuscript, or creative work, I meet

you where you are—and help you move forward with purpose.

We begin with a phone or Zoom conversation to discuss your project. I’ll review a short writing

sample to determine if we’re a good fit. If we decide to move forward, we’ll set timelines,

discuss payment, and outline our work in a simple contract.

• Curated poetry readings in support of grassroots efforts to close immigration prisons in Northern California.