Editor and writer
ARTICLES
A review of Damnation Spring, Ash Davidson’s debut novel about a logging community in Northern California. Cover of The New York Times Book Review
An interview with John Brandon, author of the novel Ivory Shoals, set in post-Civil War Florida. McSweeney's
Thinking About Place When Thinking About Tech
A conversation with Xiaowei Wang, author of Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China's Countryside. Zyzzyva
A catalog of Donald Trump's misdeeds. McSweeney's
Michael McClure, the poet whose roar helped launch the '60s, dies at 87
An appreciation. The Los Angeles Times
Lois Lowry’s Ode to the Fallen in World War II
A review of Lowry's latest book, On the Horizon. The New York Times
A conversation with novelist Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. Zyzzyva
Keeping the Story of D-Day Alive
A review of Allies, a novel for young readers by Alan Gratz. The New York Times
The Return of Olive Kitteridge, the Tart, Crotchety, Beloved Curmudgeon
A review of Olive, Again, by Elizabeth Strout. The New York Times
A review of Karl Marlantes' new novel. Alta
Finding My Mother in the Pages of Her Favorite Cookbook
An essay about a marked-up copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking as a repository of memories. Literary Hub
Books That Expand the Possibilities of Boyhood
A review of new titles by David Macaulay, Marc Aronson, Pierre-Jacques Ober and Kate T. Parker. The New York Times
Mixing drinks, books and music
North Light, a bar with a new twist, opens in Oakland. San Francisco Chronicle
Michelle Obama goes back to her nonprofit roots
During her book tour, Obama pays a visit to a San Jose community center. San Francisco Chronicle
A podcast interview with Susan Orlean. San Francisco Chronicle
A podcast interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military. San Francisco Chronicle
Eric Idle on his new memoir, Robin Williams and why Trump isn’t funny
An interview with the author of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography. San Francisco Chronicle
Life with — and without — Steve Jobs
A review of Small Fry, a memoir by Lisa Brennan-Jobs. San Francisco Chronicle
Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death
A review of a biography by Lillian Faderman. San Francisco Chronicle
Tom Wolfe, pioneering journalist and novelist, dies at 88
The influential writer laid the foundation for so-called New Journalism and wrote the best-sellers The Right Stuff and The Bonfire of the Vanities. San Francisco Chronicle
‘Hi, this is Oprah’
An interview with Tayari Jones, whose novel An American Marriage was Oprah Winfrey’s 2018 book club selection. San Francisco Chronicle
Ferlinghetti speaks out at 99, his voice as vital as ever
A podcast interview with the legendary co-founder of City Lights. San Francisco Chronicle
Contested terrain
An interview with Francisco Cantú, a former Border Patrol agent who has written a memoir, The Lines Becomes a River. San Francisco Chronicle
Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House
A review of Michael Wolff's best-seller. San Francisco Chronicle
Jane Juska, author who chronicled search for sex late in life, dies at 84
Juska wrote the funny and frank best-selling memoir A Round-Heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance. San Francisco Chronicle
Neil deGrasse Tyson opens up on the universe, and more
An interview with the author of Astrophysics in a Hurry. San Francisco Chronicle
Joanne Kyger, trailblazing Beat poet, dies at 82
Kyger was a leading poet of the San Francisco Renaissance and a rare female voice of the male-dominated Beat generation. San Francisco Chronicle
Hitler, by Volker Ullrich, and Blitzed, by Norman Ohler
A review of two new books about Hitler. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of the graphic novel The Best We Could Do, by Thi Bui. San Francisco Chronicle
Bharati Mukherjee, chronicler of Indian American life, dies at 76
Mukherjee's many works examined the Indian American immigrant experience. San Francisco Chronicle
Farewell to the reader in chief
An essay on President Obama, who views the world in shades of gray — a quality enhanced by a lifetime of reading.
Point Reyes Books names new owners
The small but vibrant Marin County bookstore turns a page. San Francisco Chronicle
Dylan becomes first songwriter to win Nobel in literature
Dylan is the first American to be awarded the prize since Toni Morrison won it in 1993. San Francisco Chronicle
Late to the Ball
An interview with former New York Times Magazine editor Gerald Marzorati, who decided at age 54 to devote himself to becoming a competitive tennis player. San Francisco Chronicle
William Hamilton, New Yorker cartoonist who satirized high society, dies
The cartoonist was known for his wry depictions of the upper crust. San Francisco Chronicle
Readers unite! And raise a glass. It’s the Silent Reading Party
Daniel Handler and Dan Stone have founded a monthly event whose proceeds will help Bay Area libraries. San Francisco Chronicle
Groucho Marx: The Comedy of Existence
A review of Lee Siegel's biography. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of Adrian Tomine's graphic novel. San Francisco Chronicle
Jimmy Carter discusses book, race and Willie Nelson’s love of pot
An interview with the former president, whose latest book is A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety. San Francisco Chronicle
Two bookstores with Bay Area roots help literary life thrive in Paris. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of by Pamela Newkirk's biography of Ota Benga, who was kidnapped from the Congo and displayed in a cage at the Bronx Zoo. San Francisco Chronicle
The Sellout
A review of Paul Beatty's satirical novel on race. San Francisco Chronicle
Philip Levine, bard of blue-collar America, dies at 87
The former U.S. poet laureate's poems dignified working-class life. San Francisco Chronicle
Novelist Robert Stone dies at age 77
Stone's globe-spanning, often socially charged novels delved into his characters’ despair with bleak humor. San Francisco Chronicle
John Waters on the road
An interview with the film director and author of Carsick. San Francisco Chronicle
Another Great Day at Sea, by Geoff Dyer
A review of Dyer's book about his time on the USS George H.W. Bush. San Francisco Chronicle
An interview with David Thomson, author of the New Biographical Dictionary of Film. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of Tom Zoellner's Train: Riding the Rails That Created the Modern World -- From the Trans-Siberian to the Southwest Chief. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of James Magnuson's comic novel. San Francisco Chronicle
An interactive map that features hundreds of booksellers, authors, and literary landmark and passages. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of Amana Fontanella-Khan's book on women and power in India. San Francisco Chronicle
Ninety Percent of Everything, by Rose George
A review of a book that explores the little-known world of shipping. San Francisco Chronicle
Al Gore on the future
An interview with the former vice president, author of The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change. San Francisco Chronicle
Andrew McCarthy at home and abroad
An interview with the author of The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of Anne Enright's essay collection. San Francisco Chronicle
Whatever It Is, I Don't Like It
A review of an anthology by Howard Jacobson. San Francisco Chronicle
The Beauty and the Sorrow, by Peter Englund
A review of an "intimate history" of World War I. San Francisco Chronicle
An interview with T.C. Boyle about his novel When the Killing's Done. San Francisco Chronicle
Penn Jillette on the joys of atheism
An interview with the author of God, No! Signs You May Already Be An Atheist and Other Magical Tales. San Francisco Chronicle
Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout
A review of Lauren Redniss' mix of drawings, photo-collages and text. San Francisco Chronicle
Cleopatra reconsidered
An interview with the biographer Stacy Schiff. San Francisco Chronicle
Infinite City
A review of Rebecca Solnit's San Francisco Atlas. San Francisco Chronicle
Life
A review of Keith Richards' memoir. San Francisco Chronicle
Golden Gate
A review of Kevin Starr's history of the bridge. San Francisco Chronicle
War stories
An interview with Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried on its 20th anniversary. San Francisco Chronicle
Robert Stone keeps it short
An interview with Stone, whose latest book is the story collection Fun With Problems. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of Avi Steinberg's memoir of his time as a prison librarian. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of John Vaillant's The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival. San Francisco Chronicle
Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other
A review of Scott Simon's memoir on adoption. San Francisco Chronicle
A review of Howard Bryant's biography of Henry Aaron. San Francisco Chronicle
Agassi's next chapter
An interview with the tennis great and author of the memoir Open. San Francisco Chronicle
Over the border
An interview with Luis Alberto Urrea, author of the novel Into the Beautiful North. San Francisco Chronicle
New York story
An interview with Richard Price, author of the novel Lush Life. San Francisco Chronicle
