Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. My dad bought me a green Olivetti portable when I took a typing class in high school.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Zora Neale Thurston wrote fiction and worked as a journalist. I love her book Their Eyes Were Watching God.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Too many cameras and lenses, now supplanted by an iPhone camera. Macbook Pro, iPad. WordPress & Google Docs. Adobe Creative Suite, Luminar.
What's your favorite social network?
Right now, Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest. Used to be Twitter (I'm still on X). Growing with trends into TikTok.
Who do you wish followed you?
Gave up lusting for more followers ages ago. Have plenty of characters among my followers already.
Why did you become a journalist?
What else could I be? I've had lots of jobs and careers, but this one expands my vision and community.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No. We didn't have one.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Keep doing it and don't be afraid to share your work widely.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Atlantic.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Common thought is that travel journalism is easy to do. Those press trips are not vacations.
