Selected journalism. For extended portfolio, click here.
Features
Where Hate Hides: Joel Finkelstein *18, co-founder of the Network Contagion Research Institute, built an early warning system for the internet – Princeton Alumni Weekly
As a neuroscientist, Joel Finkelstein studied mind control. When he realized that social media was influencing human behavior, he created an early warning system for hate.
Truth Be Told: Filmmaker Cecilia Peck ’80 earns praise for exposing cults in true crime documentaries while safeguarding trauma survivors – Princeton Alumni Weekly
Cult documentaries for streamers tend to be exploitative. They don’t have to be.
Bruce Kennedy ’92’s Show About Ice Age Theory Angers Archaeologists – Princeton Alumni Weekly
The Joe Rogan-promoted “Ancient Apocalypse” Netflix series is so radioactive, Princeton archaeologists refused to comment for this story.
The Plague of Taos? A history of bubonic plague in New Mexico – The Taos News
When Dr. Ashley Pond examined plague patients in San Francisco in 1935, he had little idea the bubonic plague would make its way to New Mexico 14 years later. Pro tip: Don’t touch the prairie dogs.
Reporting
Under Second Trump Administration, Free Speech Debate at Princeton Intensifies – Princeton Alumni Weekly
Free speech debates have raged on college campuses for years. Alumni group Princetonians for Free Speech has made itself the center of Princeton’s own campus debate.
‘The Worst Hellscape’: L.A. Fires Claim the Homes of Alumni – Princeton Alumni Weekly
In Los Angeles, the Palisades and Eaton Fires destroyed an area the size of Washington, D.C. Now Princeton alumni impacted by the disaster are picking up the pieces.
New hydroponic greenhouse in San Cristobal grows ‘supercharged’ produce – The Taos News
According to these farmers, their produce has unbelievable side effects.
Criticism / Essays
Crisis Makes Weird: Harrison Blackman discusses the aesthetics and politics of Greek cinema’s Weird Wave – Los Angeles Review of Books
Why are Greek movies so strange? It turns out Greek movies have been “weird” for a while, and not for the reasons you might think.
Taos, under the Silver Lake – The Taos News
Taos, New Mexico was different when I worked there. A lot different.
The Architecture and Design Film Festival – The Brooklyn Rail
When architect Kyle Bergman saw “My Architect,” a documentary exploring a son’s relationship to the enigmatic master builder Louis Kahn, he realized that architecture is storytelling. And a singular film festival was born.
On Privacy, Paranoia, and Genre – Los Angeles Review of Books
Reviewing three books about privacy and paranoia as seen through genre film & fiction.
Climate Resignation in Inter Ice Age 4 – Ploughshares
The best novel about climate change may be an out-of-print book by Japanese wunderkind Kobo Abe.
Laura Dern, “A Woman in Trouble” – The Brooklyn Rail
A new book on David Lynch’s Inland Empire reflects on Laura Dern as an avatar for women in danger.
The Reimagined Mosquito Coast Is a Hitchcockian Chase Thriller With A Social Critique – CrimeReads
Apple TV+’s new Mosquito Coast adaptation veers sharply from the original Paul Theroux novel.
Blake Edwards’s Experiment in Terror – The Brooklyn Rail
On a film that inspired artists from David Lynch to Lana del Rey.
Westward Denim – Nevada Humanities
A drive across America during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Ashes of Moria – Nassau Weekly
Reflecting on a 2016 visit to the migration camps of Lesbos, Greece.
Profiles
L.A. Prosecutor Robert Schirn ’63 Met Historic Moments in Criminal Justice – Princeton Alumni Weekly
Schirn had three loves: family, sports, and the L.A. D.A.’s office — and worked the Charles Manson, Sirhan Sirhan, and O.J. Simpson cases.
He Fled Europe and Became ‘The Patron Saint of Photocopying’ – Princeton Alumni Weekly
Religious scholar Georges Florovsky lived an odyssey of a life, from the last days of the Russian Empire to New York City. He also really, really loved his Xerox machine.
New York Times Critic Ligaya Mishan ’91 Seeks Magic in the Dining Experience – Princeton Alumni Weekly
The life of a food critic is not for the faint of heart.
The Stovetop Enchiladas This New Mexican Grandma Has Been Making Her Whole Life – Allrecipes
For Taos artist and builder Anita Rodríguez, stovetop enchiladas aren’t just dinner—they’re a lifelong link to heritage, survival, and home.
A Tragic Candidate in the Princeton ‘Conclave’ for University President – Princeton Alumni Weekly
The 2024 film ‘Conclave’ was a wildly popular (and pulpy) look at the papal selection process. It turns out there’s a Princeton novel with the same themes.
Winnie Holzman ’76 Co-Wrote the Script for the Blockbuster ‘Wicked’ – Princeton Alumni Weekly
Yes, “Shiz University” is based on Princeton.
Twenty Years Later, ‘The Rule of Four’ Still Enchants – Princeton Alumni Weekly
Twenty years ago, Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason wrote the Princeton answer to The Da Vinci Code. Their lives have never been the same.
A hundred years an architect – The Usonian
The last interview with international architect Athanasios Hadjopoulos.
He Championed Treks to Deep Earth and Inner Space – Princeton Alumni Weekly
Harry Hess invented plate tectonics. That wasn’t enough, so he tried to drill to the center of the Earth.
Paul Revere Williams, Versatile Architect of Tomorrow – Nevada Humanities
The Nevada legacy of a trailblazing architect.
Travel
How To Find a Cross-Country Ski Wonderland in Tahoe – Princeton Alumni Weekly
In the pandemic-restricted winter of 2021, the only thing I could do in the Reno-Tahoe area was learn how to cross-country ski. Here’s where to go.
The Magic Is Back in Legendary Taos, New Mexico – Princeton Alumni Weekly
When I was an intern at the local newspaper in Taos, New Mexico—it seemed like the magic of the legendary Western town had faded. But in 2025, the magic has returned.
Enter the Buffer Zone of Cyprus and Explore a Divided Island – Princeton Alumni Weekly
50 years after a war divided the country, a remote beach with feral donkeys and a buzzy metropolis to the south emerge as global destinations.
A Visit to Rüstem’s Bookshop, Cyprus’s Historic Bookstore-Café – Literary Hub
After generations of being cut off from the world, a family bookstore has reinvented itself.
The art of design, the influence of a place: The emergence of Pueblo Revival architecture in New Mexico – The Taos News
Frank Lloyd Wright hated New Mexico’s historicizing architecture. Too bad one of his students helped create it.