What was your first job as a journalist?
My first big job was working full-time as a reporter at the Wisconsin State Journal. No newsroom will ever compete to that one.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
When I was a little kid my mom taught me how to use her old electric typwriter.
How is social media changing news?
It is making it more accessible, though it can be harder to verify now.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be a truthteller, a story sharer and an artist in your own right.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Emails--but only if they pertain to categories I usually cover.
What's your favorite social network?
They all do different things.
Why did you become a journalist?
I've always loved storytelling. Ever since I could hold a pencil I was jotting down ideas, stories, poems, or just words to commit them.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did! I was a reporter first and then the Editor-in-Chief my senior year.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
It's hard. The money isn't much, but the camaraderie, unique experiences and opportunities make it all worth while.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On an airplane or in a theater.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Chicago Reader
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the arts, travel, or things people love to do aren't serious. Human beings live and breathe culture, we need the arts to thrive.
