Santa Clara Magazine
We tell stories about the world and the human condition through a Santa Clara University perspective—i.e. eternally curious, empathetic, ethical, and oriented at all times around social justice.
A Team of Their Own
How four former champions channeled their penchant for winning amid changing national perception of women’s sports into building the latest team in the National Women’s Soccer League.
Adam, Eve, and the Apple of Intelligence
If making—and appreciating—art makes us human, what happens when we get help making a masterpiece from something unhuman?
The Sacrificial Tweet
A single misstep on social media comes at a high price these days. And yet we’re being asked to speak up louder and more frequently against injustice. What are we willing to sacrifice to keep posting?
In On It
A Q&A with author Kai Harris, whose first book—an exploration of Black girlhood at its most traumatic and most ordinary—is also the first novel from writer, actress, and comedian Phoebe Robinson’s new imprint, Tiny Reparations Books.
SCU in Quarantine: Our Pandemic Stories
I created this archive project between Santa Clara Magazine and Santa Clara University Library that documents student, staff, and faculty stories about their experiences during the COVID pandemic.
And How Does that Make You Feel?
There has long been a lack of diversity among therapists, creating an unhealthy cycle where many people can’t find the help they need. What are we doing to disrupt that?
Value Proposition
Ask any college graduate or incoming student over the past few decades and they’ll say there was never really a choice at all: It’s college or bust, baby.
BD Wong, the 2021-22 Sinatra Artist-in-Residence on being grateful, getting your due, and dinosaurs.
PHOENIX magazine
A sampling of stories from PHOENIX, Arizona's oldest and largest city lifestyle magazine, including narrative features, trend pieces, news stories and travel articles.
Whistling Dixie?
A century and a half after the Civil War, the battle over Arizona’s Confederate monuments reignites.
Collections Department
“We are what we collect,” some experts say. We profile Phoenix’s most impressive – and baffling – collections and the people behind them to find out if that sentiment is true.
The Space Between Us
Alleyways have been part of Phoenix’s urban design since the beginning, but they’ve gotten a bad rap along the way. What does the future hold for these dusty passageways?
High and Dry
The Mayberry-like, pine-lined town of Prescott has transformed into one of the largest addiction treatment capitals in the Southwest. Not every local is thrilled.
Fringe Appeal
Our tendency to favor outliers, strivers and misfits was put under stark light in 2016 when a D.C. outsider won the highest seat in the land.
Dr. Door Knocker
Congressional Democratic hopeful Dr. Hiral Tipirneni managed to close a huge portion of the West Valley’s GOP gap in a special election this past April. Will November’s rematch against Rep. Debbie Lesko put her over the top?
Insta Moguls
As consumers become increasingly device-oriented, more and more businesses are utilizing Instagram to sell on the stealth. Some locals are smarting to the trend by leveraging their hefty followings to influence your choices.
Eternal Springs
After four decades of disuse and a parade of frustrated owners, Arizona's first resort is finally reborn.
The Washington Post
A handful of stories written while interning in the Post's Style section
Behind every great D.C. sports mascot, there’s a great woman (with a bottle of vodka and a stash of safety pins)
Meet Ingrid Crepeau, the master puppeteer who keeps Racing Teddy, G-Wiz and Slapshot looking sharp.
The congressional kid: How a millennial plans to make it to the Capitol
Lindy Li would be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress if she wins in Pennsylvania’s 7th.
The waiting games: As Supreme Court deliberates, the rest of us line up
Some wait hours to snag a public spot in court on what could be a historic decision day for gay marriage.
The kid from the ’hood who snapped an iconic Baltimore image
Installing his first professional art exhibit, Devin Allen wants to keep capturing inner-city life nationwide.
Would you send your daughter to modeling camp?
Forget everything Tyra Banks has told you. This summer class is a lot like an old-fashioned charm school.
All eyes on Noor: Local woman wants to be first hijabi anchor on American TV
Despite a media world traditionally wary of her religion, Noor Tagouri embraces what makes her stand out.
The singles pool scene: It’s like a club, only wetter
How do you hit on someone who's nearly naked? Make a splash.
How to write about foods you can’t stomach: A cucumber hater’s lament
All of us — even food critics — have that thing we skip over on a menu. But what if you have to take a bite?
Miscellaneous
News and features written while freelancing in Phoenix, Arizona
Dolphins in the Desert: Process of Brining Dolphins to Arizona Complicated, Controversial
In a brown swath of desert just off the Via de Ventura exit on Loop 101 near north Scottsdale, you can expect to hear the cackle of desert birds, the buzz of insects, maybe even the howl of a coyote over the rumble of passing cars. But dolphin calls? It’s a real possibility come late summer.
Under the lights: State Fair workers toil behind the scenes
The Arizona State Fair can be surprisingly peaceful. Really. Behind the constant boing-boings of the games, the deafening music blasting from the whirligig rides and the din of thousands who visit every day, there’s a group of people living simple, quiet lives...
In Season for Sharing, the most important number is one: One gift, from you
It’s hard to quantify the difference a single gift can make. One gift can become many things. One cup of coffee. One outfit to call your own. One overdue bill that needs to be paid. One bottle of paint to cover countless canvases.
Gentlemen, put ‘em away
What’s up with all the balls these days?
Carnegie-Knight News21
“Gun Wars: The Struggle Over Rights and Regulation in America,” produced by the Carnegie-Knight News21 initiative, was a national investigative reporting project headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. The 2015 News21 program involved top student journalists from 16 universities, under the direction of professional investigative journalists.
Colorado's gun town: In Nucla, every citizens must keep a firearm in their home
Driving north on U.S. 141 in southwestern Colorado, the road descends from red rock plateau into a wind-blown expanse of bedraggled shrubs and hardy desert trees called Paradox Valley. Passing only the occasional deer, the two-lane highway eventually ends at the Dolores River. Just beyond its muddy bank lies the tiny town of Nucla. (Story appeared in The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, NBC News, and Independent UK)
Women emerge as a forceful voice in the business of defending firearms
More women then ever before own guns. Nearly 79 percent of firearms retailers reported an increase in female customers between 2011 and 2012, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. From this surge in popularity comes classes, specialized apparel, custom firearms, shooting-group memberships and conferences for women. Women have also become the sellers, the lobbyists and the business owners. (Story appeared in Center for Public Integrity, Philly.com, CT Mirror and Denver ABC 7)
Cronkite News
A selection of articles written while a graduate student at Arizona State University. Stories written for Cronkite News appeared in professional media outlets across Arizona, including The Arizona Republic, KTAR News, Tucson Sentinel and Arizona Capitol Times.
First responders, hospitals on front lines of Arizona’s heroin crisis
Tracking the timeline of an opiate overdose and the methods first responders use to bring addicts back from the brink of death. (Written in collaboration with award-winning investigative documentary Hooked: Tracking Heroin's Hold on Arizona, broadcast by every TV station and most radio outlets across Arizona in January 2015).
Midwives combine tradition and science to curb maternal deaths in Chiapas
While some women have access to both modern and alternative prenatal care and reproductive services, many women in the state of Chiapas, Mexico – where 70 percent of residents live in poverty – have little to none. (Written as part of the project Chiapas: State of Revolution, funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation Borderlands Project)
For some women, starting a business is a way around gender gap
PHOENIX – Climbing the corporate ladder has never been a woman’s game. In 2014, women still make about 80 cents to each dollar men earn and are holding fewer leadership roles throughout their careers.
Backers of medical marijuana launch effort to legalize recreational use
The Marijuana Policy Project has filed paperwork with state election officials to form a committee to begin raising funds for a 2016 citizens initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use. Arizona voters narrowly passed Proposition 203 allowing medical cannabis use in 2010.