What was your first job as a journalist?
First paid job was writing for the Harvard Graduate School of Education. But first time I was in print was high school, writing book reviews.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
By pulling back the curtain and driving collaboration.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
George Willard, "Winesburg, Ohio."
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A dream come true.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word, Google, Hindenburg for audio, and social media.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram for friends, Twitter for news.
Who do you wish followed you?
Lin Manuel Miranda. Or Maggie Haberman.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I love telling stories and I foolishly watched "All The President's Men" in high school when I was young and impressionable.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Reviewed books, wrote about politics, editor in chief my senior year.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A story about a PhD student doing research in Lebanon on the impact of education on Syrian refugee children.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Anyone can be reached by email or phone. You just have to reach out.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Morning, noon, or night.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
"The drummer from Wilco is teaching a music course this quarter that is trying to deconstruct pop music." Sold.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A story about a gumball machine at a local ice cream shop that dispensed lines of poetry. Sounded better than it was.
What's your favorite drink?
Cherry Coke Zero for non-alcoholic. Good tequila and bad Mexican beer for all other times.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Running, reading, or at a concert.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
NY Times, but still have a soft spot for the Boston Globe and local stories around New England.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the humanities don't really "do" anything.
