What was your first job as a journalist?
I wrote about my (former) favorite singer Tori Amos for the biggest fanzine dedicated to her.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes.
How is social media changing news?
Social media has made it both harder and easier to be heard, and has both decreased the importance of credibility and changed its definition.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Leon West of Veep.
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be a journalist is to seek. Not necessarily to find, although that's ideal.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
I hate hashtags
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Quickly and to the point.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Photoshop camera RAW, WordPress, Gmail, WordCounter.net, Cyberduck
What's your favorite social network?
Grindr
Who do you wish followed you?
More pornstars.
Why did you become a journalist?
Because I couldn't stop asking questions, and the people I used to know couldn't answer any of them.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I worked for my middle school newspaper! But by high school I thought I wanted to be a doctor.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
A pair of recent Japan articles, which each riffed on a different book by my favorite Japanese author, Haruki Murakami.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Create a blog and monetize it independently of your other work. External opportunities come and go, so become your own publisher.
When's the best time to pitch you?
As soon as you're ready to pay.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
Probably the first time someone offered me a press trip. I was a new blogger and unconfident I would ever be able to do it professionally...
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
I get at least one pitch a day that re-takes this title...
What's your favorite drink?
Old fashioned.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On my phone, or with my camera in hand.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The blog Miles of Happiness. I also love FiveThirtyEight, even though it was much more exciting to read when I thought Hillary would win.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That travel is superficial: Puff pieces and, more occasionally, hit pieces.
