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.
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.
Colorado Life | Arts & Culture, Colorado, Denver Events, Event Round-up, TravelColorado 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.
Your Hub | Arts & Culture, Colorado, Denver, History, Preservation, ProfileDr. 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.
Insider | Parenting, Personal EssayOur 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.
Insider | Colorado, Denver, Listicle, TravelI’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.
Colorado Life | Arts & Culture, Colorado, Denver, Denver Events, Event Round-up, TravelColorado 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.
Colorado Life | Colorado, Feature, Food & Beverage, TravelApples 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.
Colorado Life | Arts & Culture, Colorado, Denver, Feature, History, Public Art, TravelRiNo: Where art touches everything
May 2022
Change is a constant in RiNo, which is short for River North. The other constant is art.
Colorado Life | Colorado, Front of Book, TravelLittle 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.
Insider | Housing, Parenting, Personal Essay, Real EstateAs 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.
Colorado Life | Arts & Culture, Colorado, Cover Story, Denver, Feature, TravelThe 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...
Colorado Life | Arts & Culture, Colorado, FeatureBroadcasting 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.
Colorado Life | Colorado, Cover Story, Denver, Feature, Food & Beverage, History, Hotels, TravelThe 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.
Utah Life | Business, Front of Book, Humor, UtahHomegrown 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.
Colorado Life | Colorado, Cover Story, Feature, Food & Beverage, Listicle, TravelLet’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.
Colorado Life | Business, Colorado, Cover Story, Denver, Feature, History, TravelNEON: 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.
Colorado Life | Arts & Culture, Colorado, Front of BookDolan 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.”
Colorado Life | Colorado, Denver, Front of Book, HistoryDenver’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?
Colorado Life | Colorado, Feature, Front of Book, History, TravelA 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.
Colorado Life | Colorado, Front of Book, TravelManassa: 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.
Colorado Life | Colorado, Cover Story, Denver, Feature, Food & Beverage, Recipes, TravelThe 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.
AARP | Cover Story, Personal Essay, Sex & RelationshipsMy 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.
Colorado Life | Arts & Culture, Colorado, Feature, History, Public ArtDenver’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.
Colorado Life | Colorado, Front of BookMeet 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.
Colorado Life | Arts & Culture, Colorado, Front of BookPainter 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.
West Colfax Lately | Arts & Culture, Feature, Public ArtWalk 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.
Fodor's | California, Food & Beverage, Hotels, Palm Springs, Reviews, TravelParker 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.
West Colfax Lately | Feature, Food & Beverage, TravelDate 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.
West Colfax Lately | Feature, Food & Beverage, Humor, Listicle, TravelSurviving 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.
Women's Magazine | Cover Story, Health, Personal EssayThe 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.
Women's Magazine | Interview, Sex & RelationshipsInside “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.
Women's Magazine | Column, Personal Essay, Sex & RelationshipsDating & 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.