First: my child. My precious child. My precious child is in Los Angeles, thrilled to be clear of the whirring helicopter blades of his hovering mother. The mother is thrilled that a healthy teenage balance has been restored, after a few years of developmentally staccato clinging codependent enmeshment, about which we had no choice because…move…
the blog.
Feliz Cumpleaños, America
I feel very American this year. Not because the midwest more closely resembles the right’s “great” fantasy of a lost paradise for white people, but because before I got here, after 21 years in Los Angeles, I was ignorant enough to believe that diversity was a coastal phenomenon. I was remembering the Buffalo I grew…
Remembering Lorna
3 years gone, and I feel sure she is resting in power indeed. I wrote this on the day she died. * I am deeply, deeply unqualified to speak about Lorna Hill. So much was great about her. So much was great about Ujima. And when I say great, I don’t mean “the superlative version…
Book Bits
As I have mentioned to friends and colleagues, I’m working on a book. When asked what it’s about I’ve been saying “private education, in Buffalo specifically – the promises it makes and the mechanisms it employs to encourage class mobility or stasis. So far it’s part memoir, part creative non-fiction, part journalism.” I often share…
Book Reviews
As I said in my previous post, in this new phase of my work life I might want people who aren’t familiar with me to know that I’ve written lots of “content” that doesn’t end up on television. For instance, for years I wrote book reviews for my hometown newspaper. I was usually assigned books…
Essays
Lately I’ve realized that if I’d like to be taken seriously by serious people who don’t already know me, I’ll have to submit some evidence that I might be worthy of their regard. I do love writing jokes and ad copy, but that certainly isn’t all I do. Embarrassingly enough, I’ve spent the past 15…
Résumé Outtakes
Both of those words look absurd in a header, but both are correct, so they stand. I haven’t had to write a résumé in a long time, and when I sat down to do so I got squirmy over how dry it was. I added some little text boxes with “sample highlights” in them, but…
Why here, why now?
My father is a critic & journalist, and my mother was a writer & English teacher.
One of my grandfathers sold suits, the other Cadillacs.
Perhaps as a result of this genetic pressure…I write.
When I do it for money, it’s usually because I’m helping someone sell something.
I also write to connect, to entertain, to clarify things (for myself and sometimes others), and because it’s just what I do every day. My content tends to follow form: I’ll sweat over each syllable in a 10-second promo, or slap a long-read up on Facebook so I can discuss something I care about with people I love and respect.
The good news is that I love getting feedback and notes, because I thrive in collaboration with other people who are great at what they do.
I grew up in Buffalo, became a playwright at SUNY Albany, and eventually moved to Los Angeles to work in television. There I met my first spreadsheet, which was the start of a beautiful long-term relationship.
After 21 years in L.A., I followed my wonderful husband to Minnesota, where his work has been a great success, and mine continued remotely as planned. I even worked through the pandemic, for which I consider myself very lucky. Our son is in a good school and things are pretty sweet.
But my life has changed, my industry has changed, and the world has changed. I’m looking to do something new (or do what I do in a new environment.)
I’m honestly not sure what that will look like yet, but my preference is for it to be here, in Minnesota, where my family and feet are.
In the meantime, this site will track my progress and feature my work, which falls into a few categories:
- Television marketing, promotion, etc.
- Criticism & essays
- The book I’m working on, examining the role of private education in American class mobility.
I’m always so grateful to be read, by anyone in any form, and so I thank you for being here.
If you’re so inclined…watch this space.