LIFE, THROUGH THE LENS OF STORY

From little children to big corporations, a writer sees life through the lens of story. 

THE Story

In classic kid-from-a-small-town style, I started with a supportive family and plenty of time to come up with crazy ideas — one of which was to work in magazines. I took that notion to journalism school in Miami, where a college want ad got me through the door at People magazine. There I found mentors, cut my reporting teeth and honed a few skills (including the ability to travel on assignment when you're not old enough to rent a car) while occasionally cutting class.  Fast forward through stories on serial killings, major trials, stray celebrities and an in-depth, on-the-ground education in the art of storytelling.  A move to Chicago offered the chance to lead human interest and news coverage in a 14-state region for People's audience of 28 million readers.  The city, and later the Chicago Tribune, became home, and gave me a magazine of my own to edit.  Crafting each issue of the Chicago Tribune magazine from the ground up brought my fascination with design, culture, art and issues into my work.  As a writer, I've been privileged to create content that challenges readers, and myself, to dig into the things that puzzle, delight and even infuriate us all.  Today, I'm raising my own family (including some pretty voracious readers) in a 118-year-old house on what might pass for Main St. in the city we love, creating stories of all sorts to share.

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