Portfolio

Clips

Here’s how writers prove we are actual professionals: Clips. New and old, good and bad, if it has a byline you’ll find it (almost) all here.

Browse:
| , , , , ,

Historic Denver News – Spring 2023

March 2023
The Spring 2023 edition of the Historic Denver News included the 2023 Municipal Election candidate surveys, the story of a Japanese-American family who rebuilt their life after forced incarceration at Grenada Internment Camp, and a deep dive into the story of modernist architect Alan Golin Gass, who decided to landmark his home after seeing the destruction of other modernist structures.

| , , ,

Monte Vista

March 2023
In the agricultural heart of the largest alpine valley in the world is a town that's gone to the birds. Monte Vista, Colorado, may have a population of ~4,000 people, but every spring, another 20,000 feathered guests swoop into the San Luis Valley to feast.

| , , , , ,

How to Remove Makeup

February 2023
Is there really a “right” way to remove makeup? As someone trying to break her bad habit of sleeping in makeup, I was curious to find out if I was actually doing it right. Does that sound super Type A? Have I mentioned I’m a Virgo?

Image of a brown-skinned charro in a tan sombrero, tan jacket, red tie, black chaps making a large lasso loop whilst atop a tan horse. Hector Acevedo/Alamy | , , , ,

Colorado Life Magazine January/February 2023 – Go. See. Do.

January 2023
Colorado events highlighted in January and February 2023 include the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza at the National Western Stock Show, the Viking-costumes-meets-bluegrass-festival UllrGrass, and the Manitou Springs Carnivale Weekend, which includes a community parade, masquerade ball, and the Mumbo Jumbo Gumbo Cook-Off.

| , , , , ,

Dr. Renee Cousins King wins award for historic preservation

December 2022
Family, history, and community roots run deep for Dr. Renee Cousins King, a retired pediatrician who knows that buildings can be keepers of our stories. She is an associate clinical professor of pediatrics, an award-winning educator of medical students, and an accidental preservationist.

Close up image of light-skinned woman with peachy-olive complexion and dark hair in a messy bun on top of her head. Her eyes are closed and several acupuncture needles with neon yellowish-green ends stick out from her forehead and sides of her cheeks. Smaller intradermal needles that look like teeny silver balls are also visible along the forehead and between the eyebrows. The top of a hospital type gown is also slightly in the frame. | , , , ,

What is Cosmetic Acupuncture?

December 2022
What is cosmetic acupuncture? Is it better than facials? Or Botox? How can it help my skin as I get closer to 40? I had questions, and I needed answers. So, during an incredibly stressful season in need of maximum self-care, I tried cosmetic acupuncture. My main goal: improving the lines between my eyebrows and firming my jawline. My other goal: taking care of myself.

| ,

Our family loves drag story time, but the uptick in shooting threats make me afraid to go. I’m sad to say goodbye to it.

December 2022
When I became a mom, I was excited to take my kiddo to drag story times. Now, along with school and even church shootings, story time no longer feels safe. I'm grieving the loss of another safe space, especially one that meant so much to me.

Image of popular travel destination Union Station in downtown Denver | , , ,

I’m from Denver. Here are 10 things tourists should know before visiting the Mile High City.

November 2022
I’ve lived in Denver most of my life. Tourists overdo it by over-imbibing and ignoring the altitude. Denver isn’t a monoculture for craft beer or marijuana tourism and it doesn’t snow all the time.

how to prevent ingrown hairs naturally | , , , ,

How To Prevent Ingrown Hairs Naturally

November 2022
Fun fact: Did you know the only places you don’t have hair follicles are your lips, the palms of your hands, and the bottoms of your feet? Mind = blown. Even without coarse or curly hair, we’re all going to have to live with an ingrown at some point. Sigh. But don’t stress, dear ones, because we can treat and also prevent these ingrowns from happening at all.

Colorado events November December 2022 | , , , , ,

Colorado Life Magazine November/December 2022 – Go. See. Do.

November 2022
Colorado events highlighted in November and December 2022 include the Holiday Headframe Lighting in Teller County, Meeker's Skijor Races, and Colorado Uncorked, where guests can taste all 12 of the wines in the Governor's Cup Collection.

best skincare for acne-prone skin | , , ,

Best Skincare for Acne-Prone Skin

November 2022
It’s a universal truth that zits are the worst. Acne affects humans of all ages, genders, and biologies. So if you have skin that’s prone to acne, know that you’re not alone!

laser hair removal | , , ,

How to Care for Skin Before & After Laser Hair Removal

October 2022
As someone with dark hair, well, everywhere, I’ve always been curious about laser hair removal. So if you’re on the laser hair removal train or thinking about taking the plunge, here’s what I learned.

reasons why sleeping in makeup is bad | , , , ,

Here Are 4 Reasons Why You’ll Never Want To Sleep With Makeup Again

October 2022
I’ve heard my entire life that sleeping with makeup is bad, including from my mom, whose grandmother told her she would age five years for every night she didn’t take her makeup off. But even all these warnings haven’t been enough to stop me from doing it. So how bad is it really?

A screengrab of the cover image of the Historic Denver News newspaper. The paper features the name and then a large black and white image of the former headquarters of the American Woodmen Insurance Company. A headline underneath reads "A Lifetime of Legacy for 2022 Award Winners" | , , , , , ,

Historic Denver News – Fall 2022

October 2022
The Fall 2022 edition of the Historic Denver News covered the legacy of the incredible award winners of the 52nd Annual Dinner & Awards Program, a guest article on Denver author Mary Coyle Chase by an intern at the Molly Brown House representing the Diversity in the Arts Internship, and a church in the Sunnyside neighborhood that was a first home for both Quakers and Ukrainian Catholics in Colorado. Historic Denver works everyday to promote and protect Denver’s historic places and spaces to ensure a diverse, dynamic, and distinctive city — and that everyone should see themselves in the story of their city through its places.

| , , , , , , ,

How I Care for My Body Hair: AKA “Garden” Maintenance

September 2022
I’ve always been a less-is-more person when it comes to skincare. Perhaps it's not a surprise that when it comes to my pubic hair, I use many of the same products I use elsewhere on my body.

| , , ,

Apples Abound in Cedaredge

September 2022
Beneath the largest flat-topped mountain in the world is a valley where hot summers, short winters, warm days and cool nights create crunchy fruit with the perfect combination of sweet and tart. Water from Grand Mesa’s alpine lakes stretches down Surface Creek and into the town of Cedaredge, creating the perfect conditions for growing crisp Colorado apples.

A screengrab of the cover image of the Historic Denver News newspaper. The paper features the name and then a large black and white image of the former Elyria School. A headline underneath reads "Exploring Preservation Action in Old Elyria" | , , , , , ,

Historic Denver News – Summer 2022

July 2022
The Summer 2022 edition of the Historic Denver News covered a community-led preservation effort in the Elyria neighborhood, a grant award for Black-owned gathering space and restaurant Welton Street Cafe, and a notice that Colorado's Chicano/a/x murals were added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2022 list of the 11 Most Endangered Places in the country. Historic Denver works everyday to promote and protect Denver’s historic places and spaces to ensure a diverse, dynamic, and distinctive city — and that everyone should see themselves in the story of their city through its places.

| , , , , , ,

Here’s Why Apple Cider Vinegar Is Great For Skin – But Use With Caution!

June 2022
For at least a decade now, apple cider vinegar has been heralded as a beauty do-all for skin. But do these claims hold up? Let’s dig in.

screenshot of article that features a main image of the lower face and shoulder of a black woman | , , , , , ,

Why You Should Avoid Sodium Laureth Sulfate in Skincare (and Everywhere!)

May 2022
What is sodium laureth sulfate? How is it related to sodium lauryl sulfate? And how easy is it to find clean skincare products that don’t use it?

| , , , , , ,

RiNo: Where art touches everything

May 2022
Change is a constant in RiNo, which is short for River North. The other constant is art.

exterior of artwork at All Star Park in Lakewood Colorado | , ,

Little league dreamers play like big leaguers

March 2022
Driving on West Alameda Avenue in Lakewood, Colorado, might elicit a double take. Is that...? It can't be! But it is: A miniature carbon copy of Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies baseball team.

| , , ,

As Told To: My husband and I bought a 7-bedroom house and filled it up with our community. They helped us survive early parenthood.

February 2022
I wanted to run down all three flights of stairs screaming, "I'm pregnant!" But one of our housemates was hosting a dinner party, and I was terrified. I wasn't sure how anyone would react to a tiny human in the house. Over a year earlier we announced at a house meeting that we were trying. The fertility struggle that followed became common knowledge.

art at Convergence Station the Meow Wolf in Denver. photo by Joshua Hardin | , , , , ,

The magic of Meow Wolf

January 2022
It’s obvious this will be different from a standard museum experience from the moment visitors arrive. Someone clad in a spacesuit calls out through an amplified headset, “Welcome to Convergence Station. Have you traveled with QDOT before?” QDOT, we learn, is the Quantum Department of Transportation, the agency tasked with guiding “travelers” through this strange spot...

musicians Taj Mahal and Lyle Lovett playing on the eTown stage | , ,

Broadcasting from Boulder to the world

November 2021
A guitar twangs out a bluesy chord progression before drums and piano kick in, creating a jazzier medley. Then, Helen Forster’s soothing voice says, “From the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, it’s eTown with this week’s guests…” before dropping the names of two musical acts. This scene has unfolded nearly a thousand times on eTown, a music-meets-talk show recorded before a live audience in downtown Boulder and then broadcast weekly on 300 radio stations worldwide.

John Kite playing piano in the lobby of the Brown Palace. Photo by Joshua Hardin | , , , , , , ,

The Brown Palace

November 2021
POP! The telltale sound of a champagne bottle uncorking reverberates in the hotel’s eight-story atrium lobby. People young and old — the tattooed, the golf-shirted and three blondes clad in yoga pants and perfect makeup — cross paths heading for elevators, restaurants and a large revolving door leading out into downtown Denver. Ladies in big hats sip tea, while an immaculately-dressed Cuban man in a Panama hat checks in for a stay celebrating his 55th birthday. This is a day in the life of the Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, where similar scenes have played out since the hotel opened in 1892.

lighter skinned hand clutching a rubber chicken with wide eyes and an open mouth. image by Whampoa Sports Club from Flickr | , , ,

Homegrown novelty company makes SLC the rubber chicken capital of the world

July 2021
How many rubber chickens does Loftus International produce each year? Casey Fitts, CEO of Loftus International, and its new owner as of 2018, won’t squawk. “That’s an industry secret,” he said.

| , , , , ,

Let’s be frank: These Colorado hot dogs are worth relishing

July 2020
Though debate continues as to whether or not a hot dog is a sandwich, one thing remains clear: The right combination of casing, cooking and toppings make for a tasty treat. A good hot dog should release a burst of juices and zest when you bite into it, an important and distinct firmness-to-flavor equation.

illuminated neon sign of a happy chef flipping pancakes at Pete's Kitchen | , , , , , ,

NEON: Denver’s Gordon Sign lights the night

May 2020
The happy chef, who first flipped his hotcakes in 1955, beckons diners to Denver’s Colfax Avenue 24 hours a day — a neon sign with the added oomph of animation. This beauty, and many others, was made by Gordon Sign, the oldest continuously operating sign company in America.

| , ,

Dolan Geiman brings out the beast in his art

November 2019
The question isn’t what it is about Colorado that inspires Dolan Geiman, it’s what doesn’t? “If you stick around, the night birds come out and trill and rustle in the little canyons below the hills, sending their songs like sharp little lullabies gliding up the hillsides,” he said. Most of his resulting artworks draw not from a specific memory, but instead by adding elements of many observations together, “like ingredients in a stew.”

| , , ,

Denver’s 16th street ‘doors to nowhere’

September 2019
Perched above Denver’s 16th Street Mall are two mysterious doors. The doors lead nowhere; opening them would mean tumbling down thirty feet to the road below. Yet these obscure doors used to be the main commercial entrance to each building. How is that possible?

| , , , ,

A Very Alive Ghost Town

July 2019
Front of book story for Colorado Life Magazine, a print publication exploring the Centennial State’s most fascinating stories, captivating characters, and spectacular scenery.

| , ,

Manassa: Colorado’s most perfect town?

July 2019
The town is an eerie sight on maps and satellite photos. Manassa, Colorado is not only a complete square, it’s also platted to the cardinal points: North is true north, no compass required.

| , , , , , ,

The Cherry Cricket

July/August 2019
Food and recipe multi-page feature spread for Colorado Life Magazine, a print publication exploring the Centennial State’s most fascinating stories, captivating characters, and spectacular scenery.

| , ,

My Period Is Ruining My Marriage

June 2019
Personal essay for The Girlfriend, a digital publication for Gen X women from AARP—the large nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and producer of the largest circulation publications in the U.S.

| , , , ,

Denver’s power couple of stained glass

March 2019
Multi-page feature spread for Colorado Life Magazine, a print publication exploring the Centennial State’s most fascinating stories, captivating characters, and spectacular scenery.

| ,

Meet a ball named Saul

January 2019
The average sticker weighs .00001 pounds. The number of stickers in the ball at the record-setting event was 171,466, but, in the two years since, Saul is up to about 225,000 stickers.

| , ,

Painter brings life to barren branches

January 2019
“Anywhere I am in the world, trees call out to me and I walk up to them, reach out to them, touch them and hug them.” Including the dead ones.

| , ,

Walk This Way: Art Meets Outdoors Along the New 40 West ArtLine

June 2018
Arts and culture feature for West Colfax Lately, a magazine printed in collaboration by the 40 West Arts District, City of Lakewood Economic Development, Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District, and the West Colfax Community Association, located in the vibrant Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado.

| , , , , ,

Parker Palm Springs

April 2018
Example of one of 50+ expert reviews created for Fodors.com, the online arm of the venerable travel and tourism publishing giant. At The Parker, it’s not uncommon to spot movie stars, chart-topping recording artists, and other celebrities at this property on the edge of Palm Springs.

| , ,

Date Night West Colfax Style

April 2017
Food and culture feature for West Colfax Lately, a magazine printed in collaboration by the 40 West Arts District, City of Lakewood Economic Development, Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District, and the West Colfax Community Association, located in the vibrant Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado.

| , , , ,

Surviving Casa Bonita… Challenge Accepted

March 2015
Those not in the know are often surprised that Casa Bonita isn’t just something made up by those wacky South Park guys. Humor feature for West Colfax Lately, a magazine printed in collaboration by the 40 West Arts District, City of Lakewood Economic Development, Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District, and the West Colfax Community Association, located in the vibrant Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado.

| , ,

The Future Could be Beautiful

September 2009
Cover story for Women’s Magazine, a defunct monthly publication by the Boulder Daily Camera; this first-person longform narrative discusses the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, my family history, and my own struggle with the choice to know or not to know about my fate with cancer.

| ,

Inside “He’s Just Not That Into You”

April 2009
Greg Behrendt may not be a household name, but you definitely know him. He's a stand-up comedian and was a consultant for "Sex and the City." Oh, and there's that little book called "He's Just Not That Into You," which recently became a movie starring the likes of Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston.

| , ,

Dating & Other Bad Habits: Plucking the Perennial Favorites

April 2009
I have a whole crop, eight or nine of them — men I've never slept with, never been on more than a few dates with, who disappear and reappear every few months.