How long have you been a writer?

I have been reporting and writing for about 15 years. I started at the City News Bureau of Chicago and have worked at the Chicago Tribune and free-lanced for The Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, and Chicago Reader. My articles have also appeared in Chicago magazine and Newsweek; I was on the reporting team that won American Society of Magazine Editors' 2001 General Excellence award for Newsweek's coverage of 9/11.

What's the most interesting story you have covered?

All the stories on this website were interesting for different reasons. Working the police beat, which is how I started out, was intense and extremely valuable as far as schooling one in the importance of accuracy. That training was immensely helpful to me in my coverage of Moussaoui and other crime-related stories.

What's your greatest strength?

Establishing facts through reporting and research, then breathing life into them with writing that is both clear and compelling.