Essay: Elegy For A Tree
My neighbors cut down their tree and banished all the birds from our yard. I wrote an essay about it for Entropy. The morning after the neighbors cut down the tree, my yard was quiet. The crows that for the…
Category Joy’s Work
Alta Essay: Searching for Mary Austin
For Alta Magazine, I wrote the essay Searching for Mary Austin: Life for the author of The Land of Little Rain was as hard as the inhospitable region she wrote about. Excerpt: Right before the coronavirus quarantine, I went to…
Alta Live With Carol Edgarian
Recently I spoke with Carol Edgarian about her novel Vera for Alta Live. You can watch here: And if you like that, I also spoke with Carol again on What’s The Story? (Scroll down to find her name.)
Watch My Keynote!
Here is my keynote for the Southern California Writers’ Conference! I tell the publishing story of my novel, Right Back Where We Started From, and lessons I learned along the way.
Keynote Speech At Southern California Writers’ Conference
This Sunday, Valentine’s Day, I’m giving a keynote speech at the Southern California Writers’ Conference. It’ll be streaming on Zoom, for free. Tune in and listen at 4:30 PM (PST) on February 14th. I’ll be telling the crazy story of…
RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM COVER REVEAL
The book cover of RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM is here! Coming May 4, 2021! PREORDER: INDIEBOUND * AMAZON * BARNES AND NOBLE * BOOKS-A-MILLION * HUDSON * TARGET * WALMART AUDIBLE PRAISE: In Right Back Where We Started…
Article: Greedy Women In LitHub
I have a new article on LitHub, On the 19th-Century Food Writer Who Embraced Gluttony As a Virtue. It’s about how I read The Diary of a Greedy Woman by Elizabeth Robins Pennell, which I loved… until I didn’t.
Notable In Best American Essays 2020
Hey! I have a notable essay in The Best American Essays 2020. Read The First and Last Lives of Jack London.
Article: Searching for Mary Austin in Alta
I have a new article in Alta on Mary Austin, the author of The Land of Little Rain, published in 1903. I went to the Owen’s Valley to trace Austin’s route through the area and found out some juicy things–a…
What’s The Story? Radio/Podcast!
I’m now hosting a radio show on 95.9 The Krush called What’s the Story? Every Tuesday at 9 a.m. I’ll be recommending a new book to read. And if you miss it, there’s also a podcast. What?! Yes! Click the…
Article: Humboldt Grown
For Alta, I wrote about growing up in Humboldt County, and the changing nature of the marijuana industry. Excerpt: In 2019, my hometown, Arcata, in Humboldt County, California, removed the statue of President William McKinley that had stood in the…
Short Story: The More You Know
I have a short story in Raritan. It’s called The More You Know, and it’s about a ghost who’s also a valley girl. Excerpt: Being a ghost is so bogus. Like, what is a ghost even able to do, you…