Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. I inherited an old Olympia I still use.
How is social media changing news?
Not in a good way.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Hildy Johnson.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
A whole lot of great things, if you can handle the rejection before.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I hate the very idea of hashtags.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Often.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A pen. Pages, the program and pages made of paper. Scrivener.
What's your favorite social network?
I despise all of them in equal measure.
Who do you wish followed you?
You.
Why did you become a journalist?
It's the only thing I ever wanted to do.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
One on Agnes Heller.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
I'm really not the person to be giving out advice.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Soon.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A japanese woodworking master approached me to write the copy for his online joinery course.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
A guy who wanted me to write the copy for his fancy vinyard once told me he hates wine and can't tell me anything about the one they make.
What's your favorite drink?
At the risk of sounding like a dipsomaniac: I love a dirty gin martini, a Tom Collins, Italian wine and german beer.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
talking a walk in the city, on the treadmill, or reading in the tub.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The New Yorker.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
ask my mom any question about it to find out.
