About

My writing ranges from personal essays to political commentary to reported features on topics like ancient beer, Midwest cultural identity, and a rugby-like game played on a remote Scottish island. My goal is to capture the complicated layers of a place by way of a specific topic (a restaurant, a song, a moment in history) and thoughtful, empathetic conversations with the people who live there. This essay I wrote for Literary Hub, about representing the USA at a book fair in Belarus, sums up my approach to storytelling in general and travel writing in particular.

I’ve written for The New York Times, Time, Slate, Southwest the Magazine, Lonely Planet, Travel + Leisure, The San Francisco Chronicle, Newsday, The Counter, Heavy Table, City Pages, and many others, and my work has been a Notable Selection for both Best American Travel Writing and Best American Essays. 

My newsletter, Snack Stack, was selected for a Substack Food Writing fellowship in 2022.

My favorite pastry is the pain au chocolat from Gerard Mulot in Paris. My other favorite baked goods include the savory brioche from Savory Bake House in Minneapolis and this orange curd croissant doughnut thing they have sometimes at Glazed Donuts in Key West. Please send me your pastry tips.

I live in beautiful South Minneapolis with my wife and two daughters.