Selected Writing

Class Struggle
Newsweek, July 2018
Betsy Devos and the GOP were winning the war on teachers – until one state sparked a revolution.

The Sadist’s Revenge
Esquire, April 2018
Written in a prison cell, “120 Days of Sodom” is one of the most blasphemous novels ever written. Now it’s at the center of France’s biggest fraud case. 

Dr. Sex
Men’s Journal, April 2017
Nicole Prause is revolutionizing the science of getting it on.

High Times At Rusty Shovel Ranch
International Business Times, December 2015
Marijuana farmers in California’s fabled Emerald Triangle are ready to go legit. Will it be enough for them to survive?
(First place, 2015 SABEW’s “Best in Business” awards)

The Long Road Home
International Business Times, August 2015
Louisiana’s Road Home rebuilding program was supposed to help those who lost their houses to Hurricane Katrina. Ten years later, the journey home is far from over.

D.I.Why?
Southwest: The Magazine, December 2014
One man attempts homespun perfection and finds enlightenment. But not before some serious unraveling. 

Mapping the Hidden Universe In Your Kitchen
Popular Science, April 2014
Microorganisms surround us. It’s up to Noah Fierer — a natural historian of cooties — to find them.

Spin Doctor
Wired, March 2013
Lance Armstrong’s fuel guru reboots. His quest? Kill Gatorade.

Altered State
Slate, 2013-2014
An extended look at the world’s first legalized marijuana market.

The Big Slapstick
Grantland, March 2013
Did you hear the one about Shaquille O’Neal invading the humor-research conference?

So Funny, It Hurts
Wired, November 2012
Deep within the entertainment juggernaut behind the world’s strangest game shows, a plan is afoot to take over the world.

Stick It
Westword, May 2010
Everybody counted the kids out – until somebody handed them lacrosse sticks.
(Second place, 2010 National Awards for Education Reporting)

Father of Invention
Westword, July 2008
When Timber Dick died, he left behind a legacy beyond everybody’s wildest dreams.
(Third place, 2009 AltWeekly Awards)

The Good Soldier
Westword, March 2008
When the Army tried to take down Andrew Pogany, it messed with the wrong coward.
(First place, 2009 AltWeekly Awards; finalist, 2009 Dart Awards) 

Pot of Gold
Westword, December 2006
Joseph Brodsky has a nose for great java. It led him to Ethiopia, in search of the greatest coffee on the planet.
(Finalist, 2008 Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Award)

Mr. Big
Westword, November 2005
Welcome to McDonald’s, where Steve Bigari is revolutionizing the drive-thru lane.
(Finalist, 2006 James Beard Foundation Journalism Award)