bio

We are surrounded not only by our fellow humans, but by the stories each individual carries within - tales of hardship, courage, survival… tenderness, celebration, inspiration… loss, generosity, rebirth.  These stories hold the potential to connect us to each other, and to position us historically, geographically and emotionally. These stories offer us meaning in the midst of chaos; they may transform our lives. 

In the 1980’s, when I was in college studying Political Science and the history of the Americas, the country of El Salvador was fighting a Civil War. I traveled from California to Central America, aiming to better understand the war and my own nations’ role in it. I would witness the repopulation movement - a movement of refugees who had, in the previous years, fled to camps in San Salvador to escape violence, and were attempting to travel back to their rural homes.  On this trip I heard the stories of individuals and families caught in brutality. These stories moved me and I began to write them down. This changed the direction of my life. I became a journalist and have been collecting and sharing human stories ever since.

And for a more formal bio: 

A graduate of Stanford University, I also hold a Masters degree in Journalism from University of California, Berkeley.  I have worked professionally as a journalist, travel writer, blogger, and documentary filmmaker.  I also write poetry. My film credits include several PBS-aired and award-winning documentaries, such as Absolutely Positive, A Job At Ford’s (hour one of WGBH’s The Great Depression series), Black Is…Black Ain’t, An American Nile (hour one of the Cadillac Desert series), Skin Deep and the accompanying curriculum guide Talking About Race (an Iris Films production) and other award-winning films. For the past decade (plus) I have been regular features writer for  Edible Marin and Wine Country and Marin Magazine. My work has appeared in numerous print and digital publications, including Stanford Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Modern Farmer, Grown and Flown, Literary Mama, Believer Magazine, Local Getaways, Better Magazine, Ode and others. I write food and farming features for various custom magazines including H2 Magazine, Woodside Magazine, Equinox, Carmel Valley Ranch, Ojai Valley Inn Magazine and others. And, I chronicled my family’s life and travels in Southern India in a series of blogs for Englishcafe.com.  

I have three grown children and live with my husband and our beloved animals in a rural corner of Marin County, California.