Feature Writing

People like to talk to me. That's been true since I was in grade school, when my babysitter would gab to me about sneaking out to parties, smoking her first cigarette and throwing her no-good boyfriend's ring into the sewer. At some point she'd pause and ask, "Why am I telling all of this to a little kid?" Then I'd shrug, and she'd continue.

I was quiet, asking a few questions to keep her talking, and I was listening, processing and tucking away what she told me, then writing about it in my journal, imagining what my life might be like when I was old enough for braces, prom and teenage angst.

People still like to talk to me, and sometimes the stories are light. But oftentimes the stories are heavy, and well-guarded: the fear of facing an abuser in court, how it feels to slowly go blind, how much she wants a baby, the reason he put four bars of soap in a sock and used it to beat another inmate. They tell me these stories with the full knowledge that I'm taking notes and that those notes will turn into a story that the public will see. I take that responsibility seriously.

Travel: dining, lodging, tourism, Atlanta

Style: fashion, shopping, events

Education: technology, K-12, higher education

Culture: music, film, popular culture, gossip

Issues: human trafficking, crime, hate groups, recidivism, women's issues, gay rights

Health: fertility, vision impairment

Sports/fitness: field hockey, running, lacrosse, soccer, Spinning, gym culture, strength training

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Agence France-Presse
Atlanta Magazine
Charlotte Magazine
Chicago Tribune
Creative Loafing Atlanta
Delta Sky Magazine
eSchoolNews.com
Fodor's Travel
Glamour Magazine ("Glam Cam")
Jezebel Magazine
Kiki Magazine
PAGE One Magazine
Paste Magazine
The Progressive
Publishers Weekly
Suffolk Alumni Magazine
US Weekly
The Week