Assorted articles

My stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Jane Magazine, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Time, Ideas.TED.com, Page Six Magazine, and more. Below, some favorites. 

These students set the course for the sit-in movement. Two years before most acknowledge it began

Washington Post

In the summer of 1958 — nearly two years before the iconic sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina — a group of teenagers in Wichita, Kansas, planned a ‘sit-down strike’ to end segregation at a popular lunch counter. I traced how their actions, though forgotten, set the course for a movement.

 

The town that elected an all-female government ... in 1920

The Atlantic

In 1920, the city councilmen of Yoncalla, Oregon, were floundering. So an all-female government took over, spurring national headlines that warned of a coming feminist revolution. I dug deep to learn more about these five women whose stories have been lost to history.

 

For some Jews, it only sounds like 'taboo'

The New York Times

Nearly every Jew, from those who go to synagogue on holidays to those who dutifully follow Jewish law, has heard that adage that if you get a tattoo, you can't be buried in a Jewish cemetery. But I discovered that this isn't actually true — and talked to dozens of rabbis to back it up.

 

A new age of animation

The Atlantic

Animated sitcoms often give sharp insight on American culture. But while they appear as American as apple pie, the bulk of their animation is done in South Korea. I explored this open secret, and discovered how a push toward digital animation there could change television here too.

 

Welcome to Screw U.

Jane Magazine

Years before Trump University, I looked at a major problem with for-profit colleges — that students take out big loans to attend them, and have no recourse if things go sideways. Here’s what happened when 21-year-old Christina Pelloni showed up for class one morning — and her college was gone.

 

Their kingdom for a bike: polo on two wheels

The New York Times

You don't have to be a king to play polo. In fact, you don’t even need a horse. On asphalt courts and parking lots in cities across the country, bike messengers, bike-shop employees and assorted cycling enthusiasts are playing bicycle polo. I looked into this fun but brutal sport.

And many more pieces: