For Poetry Foundation, I wrote about Anne Brigman, one of the first women photographers, probably the first to photograph herself in the nude. A fascinating person whose unique worldview was also captured in her poetry. Excerpt: On June 8, 1913,…
I have an essay up on LitHub! It’s about Anne Sexton’s networking skills, social anxiety, and the time I hid behind a column at a writing conference. Check out What Anne Sexton Taught Me About Self-Promotion
My short story Double Feature was in a recent issue of The Maine Review. I hope it’ll make it online eventually, but in the meantime, if you see a copy, check it out.
I wrote about paleoartists for The Washington Post. Excerpt: Most people know what a Tyrannosaurus rex looked like. Its snarling teeth, slashing tail and tiny arms make it one of the most recognizable dinosaurs that roamed the planet. Yet if…
I’m excited that my short story “Sleep Disturbance” will be included in the 2019 Best Small Fictions Anthology. “Sleep Disturbance” was published last year in The Forge Literary Magazine. You can read it here.
For the fabulous new magazine The Journal of Alta California, I wrote about the mysterious fire that took down Jack London’s mansion in California wine country. Here’s an excerpt of the article: In 1898, Jack London was trapped in an…
For Slate, I wrote an essay about how I waste time by spotting liars in clips on YouTube. It all started with a click on a YouTube talk by former CIA Officer Susan Carnicero. As I watched, riveted, Carnicero went…
For Longreads, I uncovered a shocking part of America’s history. In the 1880s, thousands of Chinese-Americans were driven from towns up and down the West Coast. Their neighborhoods were destroyed, their belongings stolen, and their lives threatened. The first incident…
I have a new article up at the Smithsonian. It’s about Stephen Bishop, a slave who was also one of America’s first cave explorers. He discovered much of Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest cave system in the world. ……
I wrote an essay for La Review of Books. It’s about the Chinese poems on the walls of Angel Island Detention Center. From 1910 to 1940, the Angel Island Immigration Station processed 175,000 Chinese immigrants. It was called the “Ellis…