What was your first job as a journalist?
I was an editorial assistant at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, when I was a teenager and into my early 20s.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Gus, the city editor at the Baltimore Sun during the final season of "The Wire." He's profane, smart, funny and sweats the details.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
It means telling people's stories, and giving them the information they need to make informed decisions about issues that impact their lives.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email initially, then a phone conversation.
Who do you wish followed you?
People who'd subscribe to my outlet.
Why did you become a journalist?
I wanted to write for a living. I wanted to tell stories, and I've been honored that so many people have let me tell theirs.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I did. I was a columnist and wrote features, album reviews and news stories.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A series of stories I wrote about Camden's needle exchange--because those stories helped it resume operations after a long hiatus.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Pick a backup major. You may love this with all your heart--but it will never love you back.
What's your favorite drink?
Coffee.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
At a baseball game, walking in the woods, reading a book, or hanging out with my husband and daughter.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
Books. NYT. WaPo. New Yorker. Philly Inquirer.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That Camden is a city full of poor, downtrodden people and violent criminals. It's not at all what people outside Camden think it is.
