Portfolio Highlights

* Excerpt from my memoir project. Currently seeking representation. *

"January 2012: Staring back at my husband’s pixilated face, I purse my lips and remain silent on my end of our Skype conversation. His sadness, shaved head, and obnoxious mustache (trimmed to fit perfectly along his upper lip, but no further than a quarter inch, according to Navy regulations) make my husband sound and look so different; they make him seem that much further away."

It’s been more than half a century since the Supreme Court ruled in Brown vs. Board of Education that segregated schools violate the Constitution. (Newport abolished segregated schools much earlier, in 1865). Yet schools often remain racially divided, both nationwide and in Rhode Island. As our country’s population shifts away from having a majority racial group, with whom our children learn and do not learn matters, as diversity (and lack thereof) impacts our children’s education and social development...

A chain reaction led Kelly Sundberg to a book deal with HarperCollins for her debut memoir, Goodbye, Sweet Girl, a work that expands upon her viral essay "It Will Look Like a Sunset."Goodbye, Sweet Girl reads in layers of time and place, as Sundberg excavates both her life before Caleb and their relationship, working to untangle the web of confusion that held her captive—and deeply in love—in their abusive relationship. Sundberg’s vivid scenes pull readers into her experience. All the while, her voice, vulnerable and strong, builds a bridge toward understanding and empathy.To learn more about how this necessary work made its way into print, I corresponded with Sundberg as well as her agent, Joy Tutela of the David Black Literary Agency, and her editor, Gail Winston of HarperCollins. The full interview appeared in the fall issue of SLICE, Issue 23: Flight.

(Metcalf Award for Diversity in the Media, 2015) It didn’t happen overnight. First Kristian Barber came out as gender fluid — alternating between male and female. But last February he knew he was a he. And on Oct. 3, it didn’t matter that the crown placed atop his head was made of cheap blue foam. It mattered that a majority of the 18-year-old’s classmates at Rogers High School in Newport voted for him as this year’s homecoming king.

BEHIND THE BOOK DEAL, with GARRARD CONLEY, WILLIAM BOGGESS, LAURA PERCIASEPE & JULIE BARER

A behind the scenes peak into the publishing business and what happens when a writer is "orphaned" by his editor (and agent!). 

...With no cell reception, as we marched and chanted and pumped our fists in defiance to the Trumpian divisive, doomsday worldview, we had no idea just how far our shared protest had spread beyond our nation’s capital. That a global coalition — led by a diverse group of women — cried out along with us against misogyny, racism, classism, homophobia, xenophobia, and every other form of oppression that keeps individuals from enjoying equal access to human rights, and in doing so, precludes us, as individuals and collectively as a nation, to achieve our full potential.

While Park City once attracted miners, snowbirds now flock to its renowned resorts, and film enthusiasts to its famed Sundance Film Festival. Come warmer weather, the natural wonders surrounding the charming mountain town offer myriad ways to enjoy the outdoors, from hiking to hot air ballooning. What’s more, the historic Main Street – with its enviable array of locally-owned eateries, shops and art galleries – is worth wandering year-round.

...Though studies show the benefits of healthy fats, whole grains and unprocessed sweeteners, bad habits are hard to kick. Busy schedules make buying packaged (i.e. mostly processed) food all the more tempting and finding time to bake the basics, like bread, almost laughable. To help us take charge of what fuels our families’ bodies, local bakers and health gurus provide insight into why it’s worth the extra time to change our traditional baking recipes and how to bake nutritious treats our families will crave.

Charming might not be the first word that comes to mind when thinking of California. More likely are the Hollywood images of its famed metropolises – Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego – coupled with dreamy thoughts of perpetually warm, sunny weather and palm-tree lined beach promenades. But there is much more to Cali than sun and surf, glitzy cityscapes and epic traffic jams.

Jason Parham launched Spook in 2012. The Los Angeles Review of Books has called the journal "an invaluable contribution to the cultural conversation."...Here we talk to Jason about the journal's title, mission, and how to continue the conversation about a more complete American history.

...Hillary Cohen slipped into a new pair of high heels and stood up to find herself in a whole new world. The three-inch sandals with braided gold straps were the first pair of heels the 26-year-old had ever worn. Not out of choice. In January 2014, after more than a decade struggling with the genetic nerve disorder neurofibromatosis and the corresponding chronic pain caused by a softball-sized tumor on her left foot, the Somerset, Massachusetts, native made the decision to amputate her left leg, below the knee...

My husband and I weren’t fighting, just winding down dinner, discussing life, our future. Then it happened—a mutual, unspoken realization, and all we could do was stare in silence across the table, weighing the words we’d just said.

This was no ordinary play date. My then 11-month-old daughter Emi and I had other things on our minds when we met Alexandra Day and her daughter Charlotte at their house in Newport one morning last fall. Namely food. Baby food. Not the watered-down-sauce-in-a-jar I try to have Emi avoid at daycare or the super-convenient purée pouches I keep in her baby bag for on-the-go eating or sheer bribery....Day is a personal chef. We were there for the good stuff — wholesome, homemade food.

At 80 calories per cup, blueberries are not just a guilt-free treat but one you can feel fantastic about eating. “Everybody always loves blueberries because they’re yummy, but now people are crazy about them because they are a cancer fighting super food,” says Brigid Rafferty, the owner of Power of Juice in Middletown.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of baseball fans make the pilgrimage to Cooperstown, New York, to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Surrounded by forested hills, the quaint, former frontier town lies near the southern tip of the pristine Otsego Lake. A visit to Cooperstown feels like stepping into a time capsule, where the spirit of early, small-town America remains preserved.

Heidi Klum got back out on the Victoria’s Secret runway just six weeks after giving birth in 2009. Suffice to say she had a lot of help. For new moms not preparing to strut in stilettos donning lingerie complemented by a pair of wings, is it really possible to get your old body back?