Articles
When I’m not obsessing over the career of Jeff Goldblum, I also write any number of news articles, features, profiles and cultural criticism. These days, I do it for The Washington Post. Before that, I wrote for anyone who would have me, including Esquire, GQ, Time, Southern Living and a variety of other extremely kind publications that gave me money for words. Here are a few of my favorite pieces.
How Scarlett Johansson and Dwayne Johnson represent Hollywood’s uneven strides toward inclusivity
THE WASHINGTON POST | July 23, 2019
The path toward the Age of Representation has been anything but even. As Hollywood hurtles toward an all-encompassing future, some underrepresented groups have secured a far louder voice than others …
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Billboard’s charts used to be our barometer for music success. Are they meaningless in the streaming age?
THE WASHINGTON POST | July 9, 2019
As the charts struggled to come up with a streaming equivalent to an album purchase or a song download, the media has been awash with headlines touting the latest record-breaking chart numbers. Artists such as Adele, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Drake, Kanye, Lil Wayne and Post Malone are constantly breaking each others’ records, leaving bands such as Prince, the Rolling Stones and ABBA in digital obscurity …
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You’re going where? Lexington
THE WASHINGTON POST | October 17, 2018
The first words I hear when I deplane in Lexington are: “The bourbon store is open if you’re thirsty.” It’s 11:28 a.m., and indeed, the airport liquor shop is open. I’m then greeted by several statues of horses stately planted in the grass outside the baggage claim. As a Southerner — New Orleans-born with stints living throughout the South — I’m particularly sensitive to the ways our towns are often stereotyped. But as more than one person, in varying dialects, points out to me, if you do something well, celebrate it. By the Kentucky locals’ estimation, no one does bourbon and horse racing better than Lexington …
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A 10-year-old Virginia girl without a hand wanted to play violin. Now she can.
THE WASHINGTON POST | April 23, 2017
Dressed for the occasion in a red dress and a headband with a white, glittery flower, 10-year-old Isabella Nicola picked up her violin.
But this was no recital. And Isabella is no ordinary violin player. The fifth grader from…
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Behind the right’s loathing of the NEA: Two ‘despicable’ exhibits almost 30 years ago
THE WASHINGTON POST | March 20, 2017
President Trump’s proposed budget calls for the complete elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, much to the delight of many conservatives, particularly those old enough to remember…
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‘There is no other medicine’: Texas father breaks law to treat self-harming autistic daughter with marijuana
THE WASHINGTON POST | February 28th, 2017
Kara Zartler’s life began too soon.
Along with her twin sister, she was born at 26 weeks. At 1 pound 12 ounces, she weighed slightly less than the healthy Keeley. Then, 10 hours into life, Kara suffered a brain hemorrhage…
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Give Me Richmond!
SOUTHERN LIVING | January 2016
Spend any time in Richmond and you’ll hear the following joke: How many Virginians does it take to screw in a lightbulb? The answer is three: on to change it and two to write about how wonderful the old bulb was. Sure Virginia is for lovers, but…
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New Face of An Old City
SOUTHERN LIVING | October 2015
On April 10, 2015, the 140-year-old St. Roch Market reopened after sitting empty for 10 years. Back in the 1960s, the market was a bustling center of commerce for the working-class St. Roch neighborhood, acting as both a small grocer and lunch counter…
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‘Narcos’ Netflix Release Helping Streaming Service Expand To Latin America
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES | September 29, 2015
Two hundred countries by 2017 — that’s Netflix’s stated goal for global expansion, and last month it unveiled its secret weapon: “Narcos,” a crime drama told in both English and Spanish and designed to appeal to audiences in the U.S. and across Latin America…
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Maryland’s Best Crab Shacks
SOUTHERN LIVING | August 2015
“There’s no such thing as a perfect bushel of crabs,” says restaurateur Albert Levy, who watches the sun rise over the Chesapeake Bay each morning as he sorts through freshly caught crustaceans to serve in his Ocean City, Maryland, restaurant…