What was your first job as a journalist?
I wrote a review of Wilco's album Sky Blue Sky for a local alt weekly. It was for free.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yup
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
Hashtags? What are hashtags?
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
As a writer, I'm not usually the one who's getting pitched to. But if I do get pitched, I prefer by email.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I want to impact people.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Nope, but I did write for my college paper.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My piece on the 20th anniversary of Jeff Buckley's death for Mojo Magazine.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Keep on pitching!
When's the best time to pitch you?
Anytime at all. Anytime at all. Anytime at all, all you have to do is call, and I'll be there.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
It was about a boy who has Alexander disease, which I ended up writing about for the Washington Post.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Can't remember, which means it probably wasn't that bad.
What's your favorite drink?
whiskey and Coke
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In front of the television or reading.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That comics are stupid.
