Writing Clips
Here are some links to some of my favorite pieces I’ve published.
Click the headlines to read more!
*Fundraising and grant writing samples available upon request.
The Progressive — National independent peace and justice-focused magazine
Leon Benson spent twenty-five years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit; while in solitary, he clandestinely recorded an album as a message to the outside world.
The Indypendent — New York City-based independent journalism
“I definitely know some folks who are still seeing people and are not really being cautious. The threat of starvation is a bit more all-encompassing than the threat of COVID, for many people,” says Fera Lorde, a sex worker for 17 years.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously complicated life for sex workers, whose gigs, after all, often involve intimate in-person contact. Some have been able to work remotely, such as by “camming,” doing live performances on webcams or posting pictures and videos on subscription-based fan sites like OnlyFans.
For Bronx-based rapper and multimedia artist Dominic “DOMO SXCRAZY” Queen, creation and performance are a means of therapy. He had plans throughout the spring and summer to play shows around the city and even festivals throughout the country, but after the second week of March hit, every performance was swiftly cancelled.
Brooklyn activists save former underground railroad stop from wrecking ball, plan next steps.
We look at the centuries-old struggle for public parks that serve all New Yorkers, not just the rich.
From a young age, Philadelphia native B.L. Shirelle has been a writer. She began rapping at seven and when she was eight years old her teacher entered her into a K through 12 poetry competition. She won third place overall. But while Shirelle excelled in school, life was different at home.
FAIR.org — Media analysis and critique
On US TV news, viewers were more likely to hear climate denial than the connection between fossil fuel consumption and worsening wildfires.
When the New York Times treats the same climate data as horrifying or reassuring, it helps confuse the public and keep us complacent.
Right-wing media’s reckless use of the term “grooming” not only harms LGBTQ people, but also the children they claim to want to protect.
Journalists should clearly present the evidence supporting protesters’ and police narratives, given police’s well-documented record of lying.
NBC Nightly News (2/28/22) falsely reported that the United States has not used cluster bombs since 1991—when in fact the US has employed the weapons as recently as 2009, and has even more recently sold them to allied countries that have dropped them.This claim is inaccurate. Since the 1990–91 Gulf War, the US has dropped cluster bombs on Bosnia (1995), Serbia (1999), Afghanistan (2001–02) and Iraq (2003), according to the Landmine & Cluster Munition Monitor. The last reported US use of cluster munitions was against Yemen in 2009. (Before the Gulf War, the US used cluster bombs in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Grenada, Lebanon, Libya and Iran.)
Coverage that conflates crime with homelessness scapegoats a marginalized population–and leaves out rising crimes against homeless people.
Indian Country Today — National publication centering Indigenous news
Shadow Catcher captures 'eight unblinking seconds' in portraits
Historian Dakota Goodhouse is photographed sitting. His head encircled by a buffalo hide that wraps around his shoulders. His piercing stare is grippingly illuminated while the background of the portrait is defined by shadow.
The black and white image of Goodhouse, Hunkpapha Lakota, looks like a photo by 19th century ethnologist Edward Curtis. But it was taken four years ago by photographer Shane Balkowitsch who is based in North Dakota.
Balkowitsch, who owns Nostalgic Glass Wet Plate Studio in Bismarck, uses an antique method of photography called wet plate collodion.
KCET — California-based PBS member station
'Tending Nature' series profiling Indigenous climate activists
In the wake of the #NoDAPL protests that gripped the Standing Rock reservation in 2016, Cody Two Bears merged his cultural knowledge and desire for climate justice to create the nonprofit Indigenized Energy. Last year, the company opened a 300-kilowatt solar farm on Standing Rock. Two Bears’ work centers on the collaboration of Western science with Indigenous traditional knowledge.
Naelyn Pike, Chiricahua Apache, remembers being 5 years old and hearing her grandfather, former tribal council member Wendsler Nosie Sr., speak at an event to protest foreign mining on Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site. Jeers of “Go back to your reservation” stick out in her memory. Now, she’s 21, and ever since she was 13, she’s been testifying to Congress and other leaders to stop Resolution Copper, a foreign-owned mining company, from extracting copper ore from the Apache sacred site in Arizona.
The central Mexican town where 18-year-old climate activist Xiye Bastida grew up has experienced environmental exploitation for generations. Mexico City began pumping water from San Pedro Tultepec in 1942, and ever since, the area, home to the Indigenous Otomi people, has experienced droughts and floods that have derailed people’s ways of life. In fact, Bastida’s family moved to New York City a few years ago because of the environmental destruction in their home. However, Bastida says it was not the destruction she witnessed that initially inspired her climate activism — it was the way she was raised.
DiversityInc — Industry diversity and inclusion news, trends and career advice
Lt. Cmdr. Kerry Karwan, a retired member of the Coast Guard and member of the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN), attended the Dec. 11 joint congressional hearing by the U.S. House Oversight and Homeland Security Committees. The issue at hand was one she had personal experience with. “Righting the Ship,” the congressional report that informed the hearing, says Coast Guard leadership had failed to conduct prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into allegations of discrimination, harassment and bullying in recent years.
At five years old, girls are just as confident as boys. By age six, that confidence starts to waver. By nine, the gap between girls and boys who are interested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) becomes apparent. By 17, only 11% of girls are interested in STEM. This PLoS ONE 2016 data is why Snap the Gap — a pilot program aimed at engaging girls ages 10–12 in STEM — exists.
It is estimated that anywhere from 20 to 40 million people are trapped in modern slavery worldwide. The fragmented, transient and relatively anonymous nature of hotels has made them critical sites for the trafficking of humans — typically for forced labor or sexual exploitation. But the hospitality industry has taken steps to combat human trafficking. Marriott International (No. 2 on DiversityInc 2019 Top 50 Companies for Diversity) and Hilton (No. 4) are two of the largest hotel chains worldwide. Both have made a series of moves to identify and fight modern slavery from their supply chains to their locations.
With augmented reality (AR) technology, instead of simply reading about a natural national monument in danger of losing its protection, you can walk around its red rock formations, see cliffs with ancient etchings appear in front of you and look at hundreds of years of cultural indigenous history at risk of being lost to mineral extraction. Instead of viewing two-dimensional images of spacesuits since the Apollo 11 mission that first landed people on the moon, you can see these high-tech outfits standing on your living room floor and examine them through your phone screen from every angle. With AR, storytellers can create content that literally places readers into a scene. Journalists have been using this relatively new technology for roughly five years, but AT&T (No. 1 on 2019 Top 50 Companies for Diversity) is now applying 5G to improve this technology. AT&T is teaming up with the Washington Post to help expand reporters’ use of AR for journalism.
Black creators and consumers are, in many ways, dominating the American market in what Nielsen (No. 16 on DiversityInc’s 2019 Top 50 Companies for Diversity) is referring to as the New Black Renaissance. For Black History Month, the data and metrics firm is highlighting the purchasing and consumption power of the African American population to show just how important it is for companies to target and Black audiences and spotlight their stories.
Edgar Villanueva is an expert on philanthropy and a member of the Lumbee Native American Tribe in North Carolina. After spending years in the institutional philanthropic sector, he wrote “Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance,” which looks into how money — which has often been used to disenfranchise people of color and indigenous communities in the U.S. — can become a form of medicine to help heal them.
The Ithacan — Award-winning college newspaper
Life & Culture Features
David Archuleta was just 16 when Americans fell in love with his smooth voice, fresh face and endearing disposition as the runner-up on the seventh season of “American Idol” in 2008. Soon after Archuleta’s time on the television show, he released his single “Crush,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Eleven years later, Archuleta has 10 — soon to be 11 — albums under his belt, though most of his latest work remains unknown in comparison to “Crush.”
An image of the Virgin Mary as an undocumented, Latina teenager may conjure up confusion — and even vehement rejection — from conservative religious followers. Recognizing and accepting LGBTQ identities seems counter to what many people view as traditional religious doctrine. But does acknowledging the fallibility of certain mainstream religious teachings constitute blasphemy? Heresy? Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart says no.
Brooklyn-based indie duo Matt and Kim are on the lineup for this year’s Cayuga Sound Festival on Sept. 21 and 22 in Stewart Park in Ithaca. Most known for their 2009 single “Daylight,” they dropped their sixth LP, “Almost Everyday,” on May 4, and the album reached No. 18 on Billboard’s U.S. Independent Album chart.
Olivia Riggio, assistant life and culture editor, and staff writer Hannah Fitzpatrick spoke with lead singer Matt Johnson about the making of “Almost Everyday,” how Matt and Kim got involved with Cayuga Sound Fest and the importance of giving back to local communities.
Music and TV Reviews
“Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?” is more of a concept album than a record with standalone songs, but it is brilliantly thought-out. With cosmic ambiance, it bridges the gap between cacophonously chaotic and provocatively philosophical.
With cliche cliques, mansion party scenes and characters who look a bit too mature and attractive to be 16, British Netflix series “Sex Education” portrays many aspects of teenagehood unrealistically. However, unlike many other plots about teens, it succeeds in its honest, realistic depictions of sex and all of the uncomfortable and delicate situations that come with it.
Study Abroad Column: Exploring the Emerald Isle
When studying abroad, it is easy to fall in love with a country and a culture and want to look at it through rose-colored glasses. When I first arrived in Ireland, it felt like a serene escape from the life I was used to in the States. I was enamored by the emerald landscapes and quaint cities and could have easily spent my entire semester visiting scenic spots and enjoying Guinness and Jameson in dimly lit pubs. During my first few weeks here, I realized I wanted to get involved in the community during my stay, so I signed up to volunteer for a domestic abuse service fundraiser in support of ADAPT Domestic Abuse Services. Gender equality is an issue I am passionate about, so when I was looking at my university’s volunteer website for opportunities, I was immediately drawn to ADAPT. ADAPT is an Irish volunteer organization founded in 1974, serving women and children survivors of domestic violence with safe accommodations, a 24-hour helpline and one-on-one support.
When I chose to study abroad, I did so knowing the drastic changes and challenges it would present would be good for me. I was not afraid of the intimidating cultural adjustment graph shown at information sessions. The steep slope from the “honeymoon phase” I would allegedly experience down to the pit of “culture shock” made me roll my eyes. I was ready.
The truth is, not everyone experiences that menacing bell-curve outlined at every study abroad meeting. For me, the adjustment was subtle. I experienced placid contentment instead of intense euphoria, and I would have slight spells of frustration or loneliness in place of the “crisis” I was guaranteed to endure. But my time here has not been perfect.
As I peered through the bus window, I looked for something to change. We had just crossed over from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, and I was looking for some telltale sign that we were in a different place. However, everything remained the same aside from the color of the road lines, which our site director jokingly pointed out had coincidentally turned from white to yellow. The sky was still gray, it was still raining, the grass was still breathtakingly lush and green.
The Republic of Ireland became a free state in 1922, but the six counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone have remained part of the United Kingdom. This partition, fueled by political and religious clashes, caused conflict on the island that is still palpable today.