As a journalist, I’ve written a portfolio full of feature articles. Although I can call myself a generalist, I’ve also focused on a number of specific subject areas, including women’s emotional and physical health, contemporary spirituality, and education trends.
Here are a few links to online features as well as magazine and newspaper clips in PDF format. Let me know if you’d like to see more.
Cut Your Dementia Risk by 50%, Prevention.com
Here’s a terrifying statistic: The number of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease will increase 40% in the next twelve years, according to a projection from the Alzheimer’s Association. But there’s one simple (free!) measure you can take to ward off dementia’s brain-wasting effects: exercise.
For complete story: Prevention.com, The Simple Habit That Makes Your Brain Grow
8 signs you might need dentures, Prevention.com
Dentures? Who, me? If you’ve always figured dentures are for other people, you’re not alone. In fact, nearly 60% of respondents in a recent Prevention.com survey said they don’t expect to need dentures…But the truth is, dentures are more prevalent than you might think. Approximately 20 million women age 40 and over (that’s 19%!) wear full or partial dentures.
For complete story: Prevention.com, Red flags—and how to nip dental problems in the bud
5 ways to handle patronizing people, Prevention.com
Ever bristle over the way a young salesclerk seems to talk to you like you’re. . .a toddler? Unfortunately, you’re probably not imagining her patronizing tone. According to recent research reported in the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, young adults speak differently to 65-year-olds than they do to 21-year-olds. . .using patronizing speech patterns with older adults.
For complete story: Prevention.com, When they talk down, how to turn it around
Oughta be a law: Incensed suburban moms ignite grassroots fire to trap child molesters, Chicago Tribune
Never understimate the power of a mother’s protective instincts. Double that power, and the impact can be felt nearly 2,000 miles away within 24 hours. Two mothers in south suburban Chicago proved the equation. In fact, their outrage might even change the law of the land.
For complete story: Chicago Tribune, Moms push for tougher laws
The Business Behind the Blackboard: Today’s Education Labor Markets, Inquiry magazine
What spans every region of the United States, employs more people than the combined populations of Iowa and Wyoming, and is the subject of multifaceted research and analysis? The answer is teacher and principal labor markets, comprising more than 3.5 million elementary and secondary school educators and administrators.
For complete story: Inquiry magazine, Education labor markets
Small change: A handful of new habits can yield a multitude of health benefits, Chicago Tribune
We all know we should eat more healthfully, exercise more, reduce stress and generally take better care of ourselves. But not this week, please. You’ve got two projects due at work, appointments to keep at the vet and the orthodontist, plus you’ve been meaning to schedule a checkup for yourself, and maybe the car, too, but not until you ice those two dozen cupcakes for your favorite charity’s bake sale.
For complete story: Chicago Tribune, Healthy changes
To err is human, to forgive healthful, Chicago Tribune
Another week, another political scandal, with the dutiful wife standing by her errant husband. Does she forgive him when they step outside the public spotlights, or does she, as the Bible says, harden her heart? Or in the parlance of contemporary psychology, does she engage in passive/aggressive behavior, saying she forgives even as she behaves in subtly hostile ways that eventually embitter both their lives?
We’ll never know, because forgiveness is the most private of acts. Many women far from the political arena debate the age-old question in their own lives.
For complete story: Chicago Tribune, Forgiveness
Teens in the ‘hood to save peers’ lives, Chicago Tribune
It’s a program powered by girl talk — straightforward and sassy — and the subject is sex. Night Moves, the brainchild of Project Vida on Chicago’s South Side, is a one-on-one neighborhood outreach program: Teenage girls give other teenage girls the lowdown on the risks of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.
For complete story: Chicago Tribune, Teens help teens
Your ways are numbered: Theory of Enneagram puts personality traits in order, Chicago Tribune
“I’m not sure whether I’m an easygoing Nine, or a detached Five,” says a man in his early 50s.
“I wanted to be a Four when we started because I like the idea of being romantic,” says a woman in her late 20s, “but now I realize I’m a Two. . .”
A parlor game? A coded conversation? No, just Enneagram talk. The speakers are reporting in on the second morning of a two-day workshop . . .
For complete story: Chicago Tribune, Enneagram
Getting away from it all, Chicago Tribune
Chris had two preschool-age boys at home and was in the midst of a major career decision when she went on her first retreat, a one-day visit to Cenacle Retreat House in the Lincoln Park neighborhood.
“I was totally burned out, and everything in my life was in flux,” she recalls. “When I arrived, one of the Cenacle sisters met with me and asked, ‘What’s one thing we can do for you today that you can’t do at home?’ When I answered, ‘Take a nap and a bath,’ she said, ‘Well, let’s start there.'”
For complete story: Chicago Tribune, Spiritual retreats
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