What was your first job as a journalist?
writing book reviews
Have you ever used a typewriter?
oh yes
How is social media changing news?
mostly distorting it
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
John Updike, the most elegant book reviewer ever
What does it mean to be a journalist?
to get things off your chest and to inform people
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
short and pithy
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
I use my laptop, often on the train.
What's your favorite social network?
Facebook
Who do you wish followed you?
everyone at the National Book Critics Circle
Why did you become a journalist?
I love writing.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
only college
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
"Did the Music Perish?" in Chronicle of Higher Education
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Write and submit constantly. If something gets printed in a major venue, use it as a springboard for something else right away.
When's the best time to pitch you?
9 AM, post-caffein
What's your favorite drink?
white Burgundies, Italian reds
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
I'm usually in the classroom.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
New York Review of Books
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
that academics can't write readable, attractive prose
