What was your first job as a journalist?
Taking photographs for a daily in Freeport, Illinois.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes. Received one for Christmas when I was 7.
How is social media changing news?
Plus side, the news reaches a wider audience. On the negative, I think we've traded on quality for speed.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
James Joyce..
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To me, it means everything.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email, I guess.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
The online AP Stylebook is valuable. I've been testing Grammarly. Word, of course. And the Adobe suite.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram..
Who do you wish followed you?
Hillary Clinton. Or Stevie Nicks.
Why did you become a journalist?
When I was in grade school, maybe first-grade, my parents were obsessed with Watergate. That year I wanted a typewriter for Christmas.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Nope.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Still, many years later, I boast about covering the protests at Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Get out and observe. Use your senses. Take notes. Read newspapers. Learn AP.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Earlier in the week but really anytime by email.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I can't do it as well as you, but I can get it done.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
Please allow me to introduce myself…
What's your favorite drink?
House iced coffee at The Donut Experiment.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Hiking, birding, camping, lounging.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Atlas Obscura
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
Someone tells me what stories to pursue.
