About
The only thing I love more than a good story is helping to bring that story to life. Handling someone’s story is like holding priceless art or a precious historical artifact—each story is meaningful and unique—and helping people tell their stories is an honor and a pleasure at every stage: the first spark of curiosity, the research that paradoxically leads both to greater understanding and to more questions, interviewing the participants or subject matter experts, and finally putting the story together, whether working solo or in collaboration with a team.
I’ve always appreciated the concrete, durable nature of print (and I’m a book collector myself), but my first love is multimedia for its cross-platform, barrier-breaking possibilities. Digital, audio, and video technology not only enable great storytelling on social media or in long form. They also can make that storytelling more inclusive, offering more ways for more people to be seen and heard—and to tell their own stories.
My childhood in rural North Carolina gave me a lifelong interest in agriculture, the environment, and how the two can interact for better or worse, from regenerative agriculture practices to animal health and zoonoses. I’m deeply interested in rural concerns, including initiatives to improve economic sustainability, and in platforming both rural and urban communities’ diverse populations and voices.
As a journalist, for more than a decade I worked with New York Times veteran editors to cover the $1 billion equine agribusiness and ancillary industries, including veterinary research and practice, forage production, associated small businesses, and auction sales.
In my more recent role as senior content editor at the national governing body for Olympic and Paralympic equestrian sport, I’ve leveraged the power of storytelling to inspire and educate newcomers about the sport’s surprising diversity and put practical veterinary and business-operations tips into the hands of equine owners and managers. And I’ve collaborated with such brands as Zoetis, Perrigo, Ariat, and Charles Owen to develop custom content that brings their expertise and human voices to audiences in an engaging, educational way.
As a freelancer, my topics of special interest include
Veterinary science
The One Health Initiative and zoonotic diseases
The environment
Birds and birdwatching
Tornadoes, hurricanes, and flood mitigation
Public health
Rural life and opportunity
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
Social and environmental justice
Sustainable agriculture
Natural history
Marine life
Reviving forgotten historical stories
Platforming distinctive voices
I’m currently based in Lexington, Kentucky.