essays & longform

"50 Million Americans Are Unpaid Caregivers. We Need Help," The New York Times

"Don't Tell a Caregiver to Stay Positive. Here's How to Help Instead," TIME

"Out of the Attic: A Caregiver's Rage and Jane Eyre," Literary Hub (adapted book excerpt)

"Rereading The Phantom Tollbooth in Our Year of Pandemic Doldrums," Literary Hub

"Learning on the Job: The Family Caregiver Reality," Generations

"Opinion: Caregiving Is a Vital Part of the Nation's Infrastructure Like Bridges and Roads," MarketWatch

"Collateral Damage: When It Comes to Caregiving, Women Are Already Toast," Bitch Magazine (adapted book excerpt)

"Mobilize Family Caregivers to Speed the Rollout of COVID-19 Vaccines," STAT

"Take You Me For a Sponge?: How My Marriage Survived Illness and Caregiving," Catapult

Only a Motion Away, Or, Why I Flew Cross-Country to Paul Simon's Last Show in Memory of My Mom, Memoir Mixtapes

"Armed With Knowledge: Gun Violence Researcher Dr. Garen Wintemute," Sactown Magazine

"Why I Turned to Candy-Making As My Family Fell Apart," Catapult

"The Peckish Patient: Why Is Hospital Food So Disgusting?" Eater.com (longform)

"It's Still Radical For a Woman To Be Alone," Dame Magazine

"The Goddess Problem," Avidly

"Your Extra Stuff Is a Feminist Issue," Dame Magazine

"Life, Untidied: Why I Regret Decluttering," Ravishly

"The Quiet Violence at the Heart of Motherhood," Ravishly

"The Yoke of Duty: Of Caregiving and Middlemarch," Empty Mirror

"Waiting for the Coroner," Hippocampus

"Leslie's House of Nightmares," Avidly

"What Cancer Can Cost (Even With Insurance)," The Billfold

"The Winding," Baltimore Review

"How to Do the Holidays Like a Man," GrokNation

"Fire Danger: Very High," JuxtaProse

"Grandma's Secret," Brain, Child

"Marrow," Bellingham Review (finalist for the Annie Dillard Creative Nonfiction Award; Pushcart Prize nominee)

"An Inheritance," The Pinch

Food & Restaurant writing
"The Peckish Patient: Why Is Hospital Food So Disgusting?" Eater.com (longform)

"Black Gold: Specialty Coffee Cultivation is Taking Root in California," Edible Communities

"Ask the Kitchen Witch" (column), Edible Communities

"The Diplomat Offers Warm Patio and Little Else for Diners Near the Capitol," The Sacramento Bee, 9/2018 (one-star review)

"Unpretentious and Exceptional, East Sacramento's Canon is an Instant Classic," The Sacramento Bee, 1/2018 (four-star review)

"A Scoop or Two: Ice Cream in Sacramento," The Sacramento Bee

"Halal Cuisine Has Blossomed Around Sacramento," The Sacramento Bee

Dining reviews, fall 2017–present, The Sacramento Bee

"Meet The Bee's New Dining Critic," The Sacramento Bee

Restaurant reviews and other columns, 2004–8, Sacramento News & Review

Zagat Guide to Sacramento Restaurants

"Mother Superior," Sactown Magazine

"New Mexican," Sactown Magazine

"Warm Up With Weeknight Stews," Sacramento Bee

"Mother's Day Breakfast Easy Enough for Kids to Make," The Sacramento Bee

"Holiday Appetizers," Sacramento Bee

"Picnic Season," Sunset Magazine

"Be A Picky Pumpkin Eater," Sacramento Bee

"A Neighborhood Halloween Party," Sacramento Bee

"Summer Pie, Anytime," Sunset Magazine

"Delicious Summer Picnic," Sunset Magazine

"Great Inheritance," Yoga Journal

"Basque Eateries," Via

"New Classic Holiday Desserts," Sunset Magazine

humor & Lists
"Initial Meeting of the National Parks Revolutionary Coordinating Committee," McSweeney's Internet Tendency

"My Kid Had the Rattiest Hair at the American Girl Store," The Dot

"Self-Care Tips for Senior White House Staffers," The Belladonna Comedy

"A Few of Fraulein Maria's Favorite Things," The Toast

"A Few Reminders from Your Child's Third-Grade Class Room Moms," McSweeney's Internet Tendency

"The Hotel California: A Guide to Our Amenities!" The Belladonna Comedy

"America, Do Me a Solid: Tolerate Trump Five More Days," The Belladonna Comedy

"My Broken Home Made Me a Traitor Long Before Donald J. Trump, Jr." The Belladonna Comedy

"Memo: Suggested Hiding Places for the Obamacare Repeal Bill," The Belladonna Comedy

"A Comprehensive Guide to Your New Health Coverage," McSweeney's Internet Tendency

"List: Exclusive Planned Community or Adult Film Performer?" McSweeney's Internet Tendency

travel & more