Reporting

I have eight years of professional reporting experience. Here is a collection of some of my reporting work, including straight news coverage, human interest stories, interviews, and profile pieces.

A Q&A with the Gilmore Guys, Willamette Week, January 2-16

Personal Branding: Why You Should Start An Email Newsletter [I interviewed Ann Friedman, Liz Galvao, Magaret Willison, Sophie Brookover, and Suzanne Wilder about their personal email newsletters.]

Albany Park ‘Problem Building’ Plan Includes Apartments, Commercial: Proposed zoning for a building at Sacramento and Lawrence could mean turning a downtrodden building around, as well as taking a few cars off the street. The building on the southwest corner has long been known as a “problem building,” according to Dana Fritz, chief of staff for Ald. Deb Mell (33rd). However, it was recently purchased by Silver Property Group, which has plans to improve the building to include 30 rental units and some commercial space.

December 2014, DNAinfo.com.

An in-depth piece about the rise of Chicago's premiere beer neighborhood. — *An in-depth piece about the rise of Chicago’s premiere beer neighborhood.*

How Did Our Area Become a Beer Neighborhood? While the craft beer business is booming in Chicago overall, the movement’s strength seems to be focused in our neck of the woods, especially along the Ravenswood Corridor and along Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Square and Northcenter where half a dozen breweries and distilleries have made the area their home in the last seven years. All of a sudden beer drinkers know this is the place to be. Beer bars, package stores with long beer lists and beer-and-wine-making ingredient stores are thriving in Northcenter and Lincoln Square with an engaged, local customer base.

April 2013, Center Square Journal.

Employees Annette De’Anna (far left) and Charlie Patterson (middle) stand with Interim Executive Director Ann-Louise Haak at the First Slice location on Manor Ave. — *Employees Annette De’Anna (far left) and Charlie Patterson (middle) stand with Interim Executive Director Ann-Louise Haak at the Manor Ave. location.*

First Slice Cafe Serves up Pie With a Side of Goodwill: Since fall of 2009, First Slice Pie Café has been serving up food with a conscience at their Manor Ave location. The eatery encourages people to stop in for coffee, lunch, or a piece of one of their famous pies, tantalizingly on display in the front window’s refrigerated case.

January 2013, 60625news.com.

Essay Fiesta takes place at the Book Cellar each month. — *Essay Fiesta takes place at the Book Cellar.*

Essay Fiesta to Celebrate Five Years of Live Lit: At the very first Essay Fiesta performance on Nov. 16, 2009, founders Keith Ecker and Alyson Lyon didn’t know what to expect. They’d invited a handful of writers they knew to read essays for strangers they hoped would come out for it, at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square. The pair were in then-uncharted territory, seeking an audience for the live performance of written essays and first-person narratives. Live literature was new and Chicago, now the art form’s epicenter, was the wild west.

November 2014, The Addison Recorder.

A piece on the impact of the Lincoln Ave bus route cut on businesses along the Lincoln corridor. Lincoln Avenue business talk shop post-#11 Lincoln bus: Six weeks after the discontinuation of the #11 Lincoln bus between Western and Fullerton, it’s just too early to tell whether or not businesses along Lincoln Avenue will be impacted by the service cut. 60625 interviewed merchants along the Lincoln corridor to see if they had noticed any change in foot traffic or sales, and whether or not they could see any clear impact on their business due to the Chicago Transit Authority cutting service along Lincoln.

January 2013, 60625news.com.

A national commercial for a Portland, OR brewery was filmed in Lincoln Square. Giddings Plaza Chosen as Setting for National Commercial: A Portland, OR brewery selected Giddings Plaza specifically for its fountain when they sought out a location for their first national commercial. Henry Weinhard’s website describes a story from 1887 about its founder, Henry Weinhard himself, offering to pump his beer through a public fountain in Portland. This origin tale may just have something to do with the selection of Giddings Plaza for the setting of the commercial.

September 2012, 60625news.com.

The One I Love Sneak Peak and Q&A: A special screening of Sundance favorite, “The One I Love,” was offered at Landmark Century Centre Cinema Wednesday night, and a Q&A with director Charlie McDowell and co-star Mark Duplass immediately followed. The event was put together by The Dissolve in partnership with Pitchfork and was offered to a limited audience in anticipation of the film’s Aug. 22 release.

August 2014, Addison Recorder.

Roxane Gay on “Bad Feminism,” Beyonce, and Blogging: What does it mean to be a “bad feminist”? Author Roxane Gay defines the term in the intro of her book of essays of the same title. She admits she may not be as up on feminist texts as she’d like and sometimes she finds herself singing along to pop music she knows is bad for women. But she also supports equal pay for equal work and a woman’s right to make decisions about her own health with unfettered access to health care. A “bad” feminist accepts that she or he cannot be a perfect ideal and example of feminism at all times.

August 2014, Addison Recorder.

8 Local Organizations That Could Use Your Holiday Donations: Hopefully you’ve wrapped up your shopping for the holidays. If you have and/or you missed Giving Tuesday, here’s a list of locally-focused charitable organizations and nonprofits that improve the quality of life for your fellow Chicagoans. If you’re strapped for cash, don’t worry — they can use your dollars year-round!

December 2014, Chicago NewsCastic

The Best Things to Buy and Eat at Christkindlmarket Chicago: The annual Christkindlmarket opened downtown in Daley Plaza on Friday, Nov. 21. We’ve got the scoop on the best attractions there, ranging from hand-crafted ornaments to piping hot potato cakes. Though German-inspired, stalls at the market represent Nepal, Canada and more. Local crafters from neighboring states like Wisconsin and Michigan are also on display. The market runs until Christmas Eve, but be warned — it’s cash-only.

December 2014, Chicago NewsCastic

10 Chicagoans Making a Difference: We talked to 10 people giving their time and energy in an effort to better the communities and neighborhoods around them. Whether its finding housing for the homeless or encouraging Chicagoans to tell their stories, these activists are working each day to improve our city.