About Fran

Born on the cusp of Gen X, I grew up in Rogers Park, Chicago, in the 1970s and early 1980s, hanging out at Farwell Beach, record shopping on Sheridan Road, and eating at the Greek diner on Morse. My family lived in a courtyard apartment building and then in a little brick bungalow near the Metra tracks.

I went to public schools and then to Columbia College Chicago, where I began a drawing and painting major but ended up in the Story Workshop fiction writing program. I’m grateful to Columbia College for its open admissions policy, which welcomed into the art program a kid with no way of creating a portfolio of slides. And I’m grateful to the creative writing teachers for their good attention and their kindness. As a student in the mid-1980s, I lived in a four-plus-one on Sheridan, and later in an old apartment building near Lunt Beach, still one of my favorite places.

I’m always trying to self-improve — intellectually, interpersonally, emotionally, and physically. I seek, above all, insight into why I do what I do, and into what others are feeling and how it drives all of our actions. I love any chance to hear others’ personal stories and unique viewpoints. Patience and curiosity are two of my favorite traits. Patience saves sanity and saves lives; curiosity drives an exciting life.

I’m married to a great man. We live in Seattle, where I work at home in our garage, training adults in weight lifting.