Welcome!

A young

On this site, you can read my published research and journalism. You can also explore a culinary project inspired by my Persian heritage called Katayoon’s Kitchen. To learn about who I am, please visit About Layli or peruse the blog.

Questions or comments? Please reach out!


Nature’s beauty has always nourished my spirit and inspired my creative work. The banner image is from my painting “Forest Meditation” (gouache on board).


Most recent publications:

Snowing, Sowing: Seeds in Winter

I am doing one of my favorite wintertime activities: watching the snow fall, gradually erasing the yard, from my sofa nest. As the white accumulates, the frenetic dance of juncos and titmice comes into sharper relief as they search for the seeds I sprinkled and sip from the heated birdbath (an extravagant gift to myself…

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An Albatross Stands Before Me

Wise eyes under stern brows watch us. Those eyes are made to inspect sun-dazzled waves, but here, they look out into the dim interior of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Makana is a Laysan albatross, unreleasable. After her handlers finish their presentation, they invite us to step closer, which I do. Two different employees ask me…

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Metamorphosis: An Ode to Bugs

October. It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve seen my summertime favorites, hummingbirds and monarchs, which have no doubt departed on their southward migrations.  Looking back on the warmer months, watching caterpillars enjoy my plantings was a highlight—with one exception. A bunch of twiggy cocoons appeared on a newly planted eastern red cedar: bagworms. After…

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Student-Consultant Interactions: From Single Visits to Partnerships

Smith, Zoe, Caroline LeFever, and Layli Miron. “Student-Consultant Interactions: From Single Visits to Partnerships.” The Peer Review, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025. Abstract: What can consultants do to move students to return to the writing center? To identify strategies that accomplish this end, two undergraduate researchers and an advisor surveyed students who had repeatedly visited…

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