New York Times: Tiny Love Story
I wrote a Tiny Love Story for The New York Times. It’s about how patient my husband is with dealing with my anxiety He’s great!
Category Joy’s Work
Alta: Falling In and Out of Love with Sierra On-Line
I have an essay in Alta Magazine about how much I loved Kings Quest and other Sierra computer games when I was a kid. For a while I wanted to be a video game designer, but relatives scared me away…
Writing Residency At Hedgebrook
Last February, I was lucky enough to spend two weeks at Hedgebrook, an all-women writing residency in Washington. It was a truly wonderful experience. I got so much work done while staying in this magical cottage. They even fed me!…
Article on John Steinbeck in Alta
Last year I had the opportunity to retrace John Steinbeck’s journey on his boat Western Flyer to Baja, Mexico. He and his best friend, marine biologist Ed Ricketts, collected specimens in one of the most biologically diverse oceans in the…
My First New Yorker Article
I’m thrilled to share my first piece for The New Yorker. It’s about the Beat poet Lenore Kandel, whose erotic poetry collection, The Love Book, led to San Francisco’s last and longest obscenity trial. Read more about this story of…
Article On Anaïs Nin
My article on Anais Nin for Alta Magazine is now online! For decades, Anaïs Nin was married to two different men on separate coasts of the United States. Neither man knew about the other. She called this complicated situation her…
Short Story: Jack and the Candlestick
I have a short story up at Marrow Magazine titled JACK AND THE CANDLESTICK. It’s about a ghost stuck in a candlestick, a medieval executioner, and a peasant girl. There’s also an interview with me about the story that you…
Essay In Prairie Schooner
Very happy to have an essay in the most recent issue Prairie Schooner. It’s about my experiences dealing with the California wild fires, including evacuations and the ongoing weirdness and tragedy of climate change.
PAPERBACK of Right Back Where We Started From!
PAPERBACKS of Right Back Where We Started From! Here I am opening the box of paperbacks of my novel, Right Back Where We Started From! They're coming out August 16! I'm almost more excited about the paperback than I was…
Courage to Write Grant From The De Groot Foundation!
I’m honored and excited to share that I was awarded a Courage to Write grant from The de Groot Foundation! I’m so grateful for their support as I finish up my second novel.
Flight of the Condors Is A Finalist
My article Flight of the Condors, originally published in Alta Magazine, was a finalist in the 64th Southern California Journalism Awards. Read the full list of winners here.
Alta Article: Tin Can Mailman
For Alta Magazine, I wrote an ode to my favorite childhood bookstore, Tin Can Mailman in Arcata, California. I also wrote a round-up of North Coast Bookstores.