What was your first job as a journalist?
Writing radio news.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes -- a vintage manual typewriter, and an old electric. The vintage one was harder on the hands, but more fun.
How is social media changing news?
It isn't filtered or edited. This has positive and negative aspects, and facets in-between.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Can't do the favorites thing here, either. There are too many variables. (There's no point in asking about favorite destination, either.)
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be able to go beyond ordinary borders, get information the average person can't find, and deliver it accurately, in compelling ways.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
It isn't news, but one day there will be a sweet little story in .
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email. Thank you for asking.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
A Mac, analogue and digital cameras, a binaural recorder, Leuchtterm 1917 and Field Notes Explorer notebooks, a Space Pen, and a fountain pen
What's your favorite social network?
My tent is currently pitched in in the Humane Tech camp.
Who do you wish followed you?
Ta Nehisi-Coates.
Why did you become a journalist?
I'm endlessly curious, and I always want to know what's beyond the first and second answers.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
No. During my high school years, I edited fiction -- largely novels, but also short stories. Later, I edited and wrote articles and columns.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
The "last of their breed" stories for the NY Post. It was fascinating to meet people who were working on the tattered edges of their fields.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Read publications before you pitch to them. Fact-check. Find solid writers; follow their work. Stay curious. Never stop learning.
When's the best time to pitch you?
Send away. I'll read it as soon as I can.
What's the best pitch you ever got?
A random comment from a chef about a young intern with an outstanding sense of commitment. It turned into a feature-length profile.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
The worst was a generic message with errors in grammar and layout, and with content that had nothing to do with anything I had ever written.
What's your favorite drink?
I don't have one. It depends on mood, location, climate, season, setting and more.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Traveling, taking photos, peering behind scenes, storytelling in another country, learning, being up a rope, on retreat, or on the water...
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I read international publications, working my way around the world; the multiple perspectives help me to perceive things from a wider view.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That the writer is the most interesting subject of the story.
