What was your first job as a journalist?
Copy boy, then summer reporting intern, at The Kansas City Star - the only intern the Star ever hired from high school.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yeppers! Manual, electric, and Selectric.
How is social media changing news?
It's making all of us who work in this business marketers, like it or not. It also turns news stories into conversations.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
My reading tastes run strongly towards nonfiction, so I have to confess I don't have one.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means that you are committed to using the power of storytelling to make people's lives better in some way.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
WordPress, a MacBook Air, an iPhone, and a pen and reporter's notebook.
Why did you become a journalist?
I found that I enjoyed telling stories and had a knack for writing. Put the two together and...
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I rose through the ranks from reporter to Editor-in-Chief senior year.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
My Next City article on Philadelphia's middle neighborhoods.
When's the best time to pitch you?
In the morning, when I'm going through my email
What's the best pitch you ever got?
I'm still waiting for it!
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic, hands down.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's just about selling houses. It's about the way we live now, and will in the future.
