Selected Writing
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Does Boston Still Drink?
In the city where everyone (in the bar) once knew your name, will anyone be there to remember it? Boston
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Blast from the Past
On April 12, 1934, Mount Washington was slammed by winds that set a jaw-dropping world record. Nearly 90 years later, one writer ventures to the summit to discover what that might have felt like. Yankee
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How October 7 Galvanized Boston’s Jewish Community
In the aftermath of Hamas militants' attack on Israel last year, some local residents joined support groups. Others became activists. Some even changed their worldviews entirely. Boston
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A Conservative Thought Experiment on a Liberal College Campus
Last fall semester, professor Eitan Hersh and a class of undergrads embarked on a mission to understand conservative thought. Here's what happened. Boston
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A Factory in Maine Proves 'Made in America' Is Still Possible
The precipitous decline of American manufacturing was the result of a steady, concerted, decades-long effort among power brokers to wrest the economy from a worker-dependent model to one in which skilled workers are expendable. Corporate executives sold free trade to policymakers as a way to lower consumer pricing, but the human and political costs of offshoring were high. New York Times
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The Conversion of Bob Rivers
Straight, white, and male, banking giant Bob Rivers had every advantage on his way to the top. Now he’s on a mission to make sure the next generation of Boston’s leaders don’t look anything like him. Boston
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Steven Samuels Is Fenway’s Man with the Golden Charm
How developer Steven Samuels transformed the Fenway from a dump into a destination.
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Philosopher Daniel Dennett On the Illusion of Consciousness
The cognitive scientist has written stacks of influential books, but his new one is in an unfamiliar genre: memoir. We visited him on Eggemoggin Reach for a porch chat about consciousness, artificial intelligence, farm tools, and Maine as a lifelong refuge. Down East
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The Naturalist in Migration Land
Pulitzer-nominated author Scott Weidensaul calls Maine “a major bird factory.” His much-anticipated new book explores the mysteries behind birds’ migration routes — and the human-caused disturbances that threaten them. Down East
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You Gotta Lay It Down to Pick It Up
Nicky Varano’s Strega empire serves up larger-than-life Italian fare with casino-infused pomp and glitz. That’s played well with the suburban and sports-star crowds. But now, with the expected April launch of his new glammed-up steakhouse, Strip, Varano is taking his fabulous one-man show straight into the heart of snobtown. Varano thinks he’s ready for Boston. Boston
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What Would Tribal Sovereignty Mean for the Wabanaki?
For more than 40 years, the tribes in Maine have had to play by different rules than other indigenous groups across the country, and they have suffered in tangible ways as a result. Now, a push for greater tribal autonomy has come to a head. Down East
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A Fatal Mistake: The Sinking of the El Faro
On October 1, 2015, the container ship El Faro sailed directly into the path of Hurricane Joaquin. When it sank it took the lives of all 33 aboard, including eight New Englanders. Rachel Slade wanted to know what happened and why. You will not soon forget what she found. Yankee Magazine
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American Roots Runs Deep
When the pandemic brought life to a standstill this spring, millions of American small businesses found themselves facing collapse. This is the story of one of them — and of a tight-knit staff navigating calamity, risk, and renewal. Down East
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Under Pressure: The Day Lawrence Went Up in Flames
After years of cutbacks and layoffs, the gas pipelines in Merrimack Valley were an accident waiting to happen. When homes began to explode on one beautiful summer day, this is how one of Massachusetts’ most under-resourced communities came together to save each other.
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The New BPDA: Paved and Confused
Snarled traffic. Sky-high rents. And entire neighborhoods that soon may be underwater. Our city planners have steamrolled over communities and failed to build a city that is livable for us all. Is there still a chance to get it right? Boston
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The Authority: Why the B.R.A. Needs to Go
In this town, the Boston Redevelopment Authority rules supreme. Accountable only to the mayor, it exerts total control over zoning, planning, and development—an anachronistic concentration of power. As the Menino era draws to a close, it’s time for the agency to go. Boston
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Turn Empty Offices into Little Factories
Downtown was designed to be the center of the region's economy. Even now, its vibrancy remains critical to Boston's resiliency. To revive the city, we need to rethink what downtown could be. So here's a completely new vision: Leverage the glut of office space to transform Boston into a high-tech manufacturing hub. Boston Globe
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Sex, Lies, and Surveillance Tape: Inside Rockland’s #MeToo Scandal
At the height of the #MeToo movement, Rockland’s sole female town selectperson accused the town administrator of sexually assaulting her. One and a half years later, it’s still not clear who was the real victim. Boston
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You Can't Afford to Live Here Anymore
You may find yourself with a beautiful house, and a beautiful spouse, and a beautiful kid. And a back-breaking mortgage. How did we get here? Boston
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From Away
Maine had been her haven since childhood. Then a virus arrived, and with it a fear of outsiders. Award-winning journalist Rachel Slade recounts her family’s Covid quarantine experience in this thought-provoking essay. Yankee
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Inside Boston’s Looming Mental Health Crisis
Depressed. Anxious. Stressed. We were all of these things even before the pandemic hit. Now, facing a long winter of isolation and uncertainty, Bostonians are increasingly finding themselves at their breaking point. A special report on the area’s looming mental health crisis—and how to find help if you need it. Boston
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What We Didn’t Learn From a Space Shuttle Disaster
As recounted in Adam Higginbotham’s “Challenger,” the 1986 tragedy that riveted a nation was a preventable lesson in hubris and human error. New York Times
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A Biography Sheds Light on an Unknown Brazilian Hero
Larry Rohter’s “Into the Amazon” celebrates the exploits of Cândido Rondon, the trailblazing explorer, scientist, statesman and more. New York Times
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‘Icebound’ Takes Us Back to the Arctic, in All Its Terror and Splendor
In her new book, “Icebound,” the journalist Andrea Pitzer chronicles William Barents’s three attempts to find a mythical northeast passage to Asia. New York Times
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The Once and Future Kenmore Square
Forget the rumors—reports of the neighborhood’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Boston
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What Would It Take for Boston to Become a Car-Free City?
We’ve sacrificed everything—our health, our beautiful parks, and our sanity—for cars. Boston has reached a crisis point. Here’s how we can become a place for people instead. Boston
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The High-Rise Cliffhanger | Rhode Island’s Superman Building
Inside the decades-long saga of Rhode Island’s landmark skyscraper. Yankee
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From Breakup to Breakthrough: Healing Heartbreak on the Mat
To the casual observer, maybe you were the perfect couple—the nubby fabric to each other’s Velcro, the oat milk to her latte, the peanut butter to his jelly. But on the road called adulthood, lots of things lose their magic. That industrial-strength, grape-flavored sugar-goo we ate on sandwiches in kindergarten? Wouldn’t touch it now. Relationships can be like that. Yoga Journal
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Treating the Equine Athlete
A new world-class complex at Cummings School keeps sport horses at the top of their game. Tufts Now
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Inside the Underground Pipeline Bringing Pets to Massachusetts
A neglected pup from the deep South, a grieving Plymouth family, and the fearless rescuers that brought them together: The untold story of Bowser’s incredible journey home. Boston
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The Moment That Presaged a Maine Senator’s Downfall
Margaret Chase Smith was a bipartisan hero — until suddenly she wasn't. Down East.
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Abandoned Ship: How a Russian Grifter Ignited the Tragedy in Beirut
Rachel Slade on ammonium nitrate, mining in Mozambique, international shipping, and criminal negligence in Lebanon. PREVAIL.
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Keeping Up With the Jones Act
Why are Ghislaine Maxwell, Vladimir Putin, and Elaine Chao so interested in the Arctic? PREVAIL.
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Elaine Chao’s conflicts of interest could have major consequences
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, might have tried to leverage her political connections to benefit her family's shipping company. June 7, 2019. The Boston Globe.
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Duck boats had trouble from the start
The story of a recent duck boat disaster in Missouri began long ago off the coast of Cape Cod. One stormy day in 1942, a US Coast Guard vessel was grounded on one of the countless sandbars near Provincetown. July 24, 2018. The Boston Globe.
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How cheap is too cheap?
Global competition depends on easy shipping. And if shipping companies can't survive in the global economy, who can? May 13, 2018. The Boston Globe.
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The Most Powerful New Voting Bloc in America Doesn’t Vote
Young people have the power to dominate U.S. policy, but they’ve been sidelined for years. Will they vote in November? It depends. Medium.
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A New Device Can Hear Your Thoughts
A 24-year-old MIT student has developed wearable tech he can control with his mind. The question is what we’ll do with it. Medium.
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Virtual Veterinary Training
An online connection with Morocco allows Cummings School students to learn about treating donkeys, mules and horses that suffer from conditions rarely seen in the U.S. Tufts Now
Selected Assigning and Editing
“What we have lost we will find once again”
“Doctors and their unhealthy dependency on tech”
Prabal Chakrabarti
“These pills could kill you”
Abraar Karan, MD
Katherine Eban
“In America, becoming a doctor can prove fatal”
Amitha Kalaichandran, MD
S.I. Rosenbaum
“The death of the school dance”
Julie Surratt
“The Audition”
Jennie Dorris (CRMA Finalist)
David Bates
“A letter from tornado country”
Brantley Hargrove
“Roma exposes Mexico’s darkest secret”
Marcela Garcia
“My people didn’t integrate well into America. And they were German”
Tony Rehagen
Jennifer Roberts (CMRA Winner)
Bathsheba Demuth
“The Terrifyingly Nasty, Backstabbing, and Altogether Miserable World of the Suburban Mom”
Julie Suratt
“The case for legalizing sex work”
“Lord of the Sties”
“One of us”
“How the warming Arctic is creating a worldwide transformation”
Selected Art Direction
Home, style, and travel