I initially pursued journalism because I didn’t see stories that mattered reflected in print.

photo by Daniel White

As a kid, I wrote occasional op-ed pieces (published in my town newspaper and once in the Boston Herald) arguing that existing coverage excluded too much from the narrative. In high school, after serving as an editor at the official school newspaper, I quit to co-found an independent, underground student paper.

I guess it isn’t surprising that I ended up in the alternative press, where I spent eight years knocking down conventional wisdom, uncovering important buried stories, and helping my neighbors better understand where they live through news and cultural coverage. I later served as the interim news editor at INDY Week, the third alternative weekly I’ve worked at.

I want to keep telling stories that expand people’s understanding of their community and their world. In the past that’s meant everything from talking on the podcast Criminal about the 1979 Greensboro Massacre to something as innocuous as contributing to the book Where to Eat Pizza. When people read or listen to my work, I want them to think ‘Wow, I had no idea.’

These days, I only write about food. And that’s intentional. Candidly, the world can be a pretty dark place, and while I still sometimes delve into the more serious, years on the news beat wore me down.

I want to fill my days with something more enjoyable. Something personal.

Learn about my North Carolina-based food writing.