I'm a freelance writer and author focusing on travel, food, history, cultural commentary, and personal narratives. Most of my work falls into the general "travel" category but goes far beyond service journalism. My goal is to capture the complicated layers of a place by way of a specific topic (a restaurant, a song, a moment in history) and thorough research, and thoughtful, empathetic conversations with the people who live there.
My books:
*The Not-Quite States of America (Norton), a travelogue about the U.S. territories and a history of the American Empire. A Smithsonian Top 10 Travel Book of 2017.
*Europe on Five Wrong Turns a Day (Perigee Books/Penguin), about my attempt to tour Europe with a 1960s guidebook. A National Geographic Traveler Book of the Month.
My writing ranges from personal essays to political commentary to reported features on topics like ancient beer, Midwest cultural identity, and a rugby-like game played on a remote Scottish island.
I’ve written for The New York Times, Slate, Southwest the Magazine, Travel + Leisure, The San Francisco Chronicle, Newsday, and many others, and my work has been a Notable Selection for both Best American Travel Writing and Best American Essays.
I also do workshops and talks, including past gigs as the opening act for Julian Bond and Sandra Day O'Connor on a cruise ship (really) and as the first American author to present at the Minsk International Book Festival.
Oh, and I'm Editor-at-Large for The Statesider (statesider.us).
