Explorations & Examinations
What do I write about? Well, everything. Exotic plant smuggling, death with dignity, Mr. Potato Head, the art and craft of nonfiction. And more.
Articles & Essays
Fond farewell to Farmer-ish.
Immersion reporting during the pandemic. Whaaat?
All hail the Transcontinental potato.
All hail the chip.
The simmering, the sipping.The magic.
Rain, drought, dragons and deities. But mostly rain.
Practicing the profession he retired from, for a newspaper he got roped into starting, in the town he vowed never to return.
How I learned to love the lowly spud.
Serving up hot food and generous portions of dignity.
Taking the First Ballet Step in a Quest to Dance The Nutcracker
It was decades since my last ballet class, but I was determined.
My adventures in the world of anti-aging as I separate hope form hype.
For Sarah Brightwood, Everything is function. Everything is art.
Life offered me a Sandra Bullock moment, and I'd like to say I seized it.
You wish you could spare her every hurt, but letting go is part of the art of mothering.
An Oregon nurse enlisted an entire hospital to make sure that no one dies alone.
Life in a residential Alzheimer's facility through the eyes of the low-wage workers who care for these vulnerable patients when their families can't.
Hallmark cards were not made for this guy.
To be the author of your life, you have to keep writing the book.
Both men were dying, and both wanted the end to come at the timea nd place of their own choosing.
What is it about a strange squat plant that gives rise to smugglers and obsessive collectors?
We are more than the sum of our remembered pasts.
Listening to the end of life.
It's Not Just a Train Trip, It's a State of Mind
You haven't really ridden the rails until you've ridden with the train-iacs known as "foamers."
If long-distance train travel has a future, this is it.
Hunting wild turkeys in a skinny mocha world.
So when exactly was it that the Pioneer Mother sat down to read a book?
They appear. They disappear.
The Few. The Proud. The Readers.
Are books absolutely necessary?
The Ten Stupid Things Writers Do to Mess Up Their Lives
Ah, the fine art of self-sabotage.
Life, even for a writer, can just be life.
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Read my mini-essays on mothering a 21st century teen
Nieman Storyboard Essays
Nieman Storyboard, a publication of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, explores the art and craft of nonfiction narrative in essays written by veteran storytellers.
To browse my articles on the Nieman Storyboard site, follow this link.
So you want to write a book? Brace yourself for some serious self-promotion and yes, TikTok.
What empathy is, and isn’t, in journalism.
If journalism is part of the problem, can it be part of the solution?
Stories behind bars: The power and pitfalls of emotional truth.
What to do when you write the kinds of stories you find hard to read.