Narrative Nonfiction

Journalism from the intersection of place, power, systems, environment, culture, and solutions

Outlets Include:

Al Jazeera, The Guardian, The Nation, National Geographic, The Atlantic’s City Lab, The Washington Post, Food & Wine, CounterPunch, New York magazine, YES! Magazine, Civil Eats, FoodPrint, Sierra magazine, The Appeal, The Sunday Long Read, Pacific Standard, Reasons to be Cheerful, AIA MN’s ENTER magazine, Landscape Architecture Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, AFAR, Eater, Next City, The Minnesota Reformer, Columbia Journalism Review, Rewire.news, U.S. News & World Report, Fodor’s Travel, Fast Company, Nonprofit Quarterly, and more

Recent

  • Dolly Parton seems like she was probably a wonderful person. From what I can tell, she gave books to kids. She’s had some excellent one-liners about social issues like gay marriage. She donated money to vaccine development and cancer research, though only after a personal experience through her niece.

    That’s how these things tend to go. Rich people have some kind of experience that’s personally meaningful for them and, as a result, they fund something that technically could benefit us all. And that’s how we come to live in a world driven by the whims of rich people. I don’t like living in this world, even when the rich person is Dolly Parton. When it comes to rendering some kind of judgment on who Parton was as a person, I simply cannot say. And neither can you. Counter Punch, August 2026.

  • Nick Tilsen has been under indictment for six of the eight years that his organization has existed. The founder and CEO of NDN Collective, a Rapid City-based organization dedicated to building Indigenous power, Tilsen explains it this way: “They’re threatened. They’re not used to Indian people being able to fight back in their systems,” referring most recently to his time in a South Dakota courtroom earlier this year. CounterPunch, April 2026

  • It’s time for us to address the systemic levels of power and oppression facing us and to understand that no one—no person, no institution, no politician, no government—is coming to save us and, therefore, that it’s up to us to save ourselves. As daunting as that may be, the first step towards our collective liberation is small and simple—it’s just stopping. Because the one thing we have that they don’t have, and can never have, is numbers. Counter Punch, January 2026.

Profiles

  • As the Sioux Chef, Sean Sherman is out to prove that an Indigenous approach to growing and cooking food can better serve people and planet. From his restaurant on the banks of the Mississippi, he is creating a blueprint for how it can be done – earning him a place on Time’s top 100 list of most influential people. Imagine5 magazine, Vol. 3.

  • The skills it takes to live life on the fringes of society are disappearing, including on Washington state’s Ketron Island, a place that has long defied private island stereotypes. Come along for the rugged individualism, stay for the surprise QAnon connection in this portrait of a place unlike any other in America today. The Sunday Long Read, February 2023.

  • A profile of a woman birder at the top of her game who’s making birding safer for women while she’s at it. Audubon Magazine, January 2022.

  • A profile of Carrol Henderson, a renowned wildlife conservationist, and his current post-retirement efforts to save a Rochester, MN heron rookery. Audubon Magazine, July 2021.

  • Chef Gustavo Romero opens Nixta in Northeast Minneapolis. Eater Twin Cities, 2020.

  • Mainstream journalism is already activist and political, Holthaus argues, “in the sense that they’re being activists for the centrist view. Either consciously or subconsciously, they’re choosing the keep things the way they are.” Columbia Journalism Review, September 2019.

  • St. Paul’s historic Skinner’s Pub has relied on loyal regulars and food sales to keep pouring through the coronavirus crisis. Eater, October 2020.

Features

  • Tracing the origins of organizing across the debt relief space from Occupy Wall Street to student loan forgiveness. Yes! Magazine, November 2022.

  • Sharing the story of burial recovery workers and their fight for justice at state and federal levels after alleged discrimination at the hands of MnDOT. The Nation, December 2022 issue.

  • Stuck (and in love) In Seattle during COVID-19, this story is part of a series of personal essays designed to show how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting the lives of Seattleites. Seattle magazine, April 2020.

  • They say that, done right, Indigenous tourism can also be a form of reconciliation. Sierra magazine, September 2024.

  • The climate crisis presents an opportunity to rewrite everything from ownership to energy independence. Sierra magazine, June 2024.

  • Indigenous leaders’ attempts to establish state-funded charter schools in Rapid City were shot down. Now, the Oceti Sakowin Community Academy is giving families hope. Next City, 2023.

  • To create awareness and inspire action, their carefully curated meals feature coffee, chocolate, and other foods that will become costlier and more difficult to produce due to climate change. Civil Eats, 2024.

    Reproduced as     a radio piece by Public News Service that was disseminated by 135 outlets to more than 2 million listeners and readers.

  • DACA applications and renewals are complex and costly. Enter Juntos Community’s online platform. Next City, January 2024.

  • A new data aggregation tool collects and shares information about native plants to help increase biodiversity and give prairies the power to survive the pressures they face from climate change. Nonprofit Quarterly, January 2024.

  • A new report argues that the two main fair trade certifiers operating in México’s San Quintín valley — Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) and Fair Trade USA (FTUSA) — fail at their main objective of protecting the Mexican farmworkers whose backbreaking labor produces the berries we enjoy. FoodPrint, December 2023.

  • Asian American chefs are sharing their stories the best way they know how—through food. Food & Wine, July 2021.

  • A new project shows how many millions in taxpayer money is spent on police misconduct in Minnesota – offering a model that can be duplicated elsewhere. Next City, August 2023.

  • Home modifications vary greatly in form and cost, a challenge for disabled residents whose homes aren't accessible to them. Shelterforce, June 2023.

  • What started as a restaurant has become a path to entrepreneurship, turning formerly incarcerated folks into lawyers and soul food impresarios. Reasons To Be Cheerful, April 2023.

  • Item descriptionIn Granite City, Illinois, landlords have been penalized for refusing to evict tenants who have criminal records or are simply living with someone who does. The Appeal, January 2021.

  • River surfing was inspired by ocean surfing, but its popularity is growing all on its own. National Geographic, November 2017.

  • Cleveland’s X-Freedom Studio highlights the importance of exonerees having a safe and affordable place to stay — but also how direct and simple free housing can be. Next City, September 2023.

  • “So much effort is aimed at symptoms when the core problem is the constant investment in the things that we don’t want.” FoodPrint, July 2023.

  • At least 100 people arrested in northern Minnesota. Sierra magazine, June 2021.

  • The Bee Better and Bee Friendly certifications provide a glimpse of some of the benefits—and the limitations—of using pollinator health to gauge the overall sustainability of a farm. Civil Eats, October 2022.

  • A feature on Barcelona’s bicibús movement. Reasons To Be Cheerful, November 2022.

  • Covering the opening of the award-winning Owamni in Minneapolis. Food & Wine, July 2021.

  • After police killed Black men in Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center, local officials approached reforms differently. Al Jazeera English, May 2021.

  • America's northernmost distillery, Far North Spirits, recently released a groundbreaking study showing that rye variety determines the flavor of whiskey—not just the aging process. Food & Wine, May 2021.

  • A Twin Cities mall invited people and pets to walk indoors each weekend—but the event’s popularity was also its undoing. The Atlantic’s CityLab, March 2019.

  • Families achieved what seemed impossible: They signed a purchase agreement with their landlord and are creating a tenant-run co-op. Next City, July 2020.

  • The founders enjoy watching birds, sure. But they are just as interested in fostering experiences where everyone feels comfortable being who they are. Audubon magazine, June 2022.

  • Supporters came out by the thousands, undeterred by snow, to hear Klobuchar’s announcement that she will run for president. The Guardian, February 2019.

  • With new funding, African Economic Development Solutions hopes to foster culture and community with a Pan-African immigrant cooperative market. Civil Eats, February 2021.

  • Q&A with Morton about her new book “Not On My Watch: How a Renegade Biologist Took on Governments and Industry to Save Wild Salmon”. Civil Eats, June 2021.

  • For 50 years, Arcosanti’s blend of architecture with ecology has helped conserve a portion of the Arizona landscape. Landscape Architecture magazine, May 2023 summer issue.

  • Meteorologists are also uniquely positioned to communicate about climate change with their viewers. The chief meteorologist and director of Climate Matters says broadcast meteorologists are one of the most trusted sources when it comes to information about climate change. Columbia Journalism Review, June 2019.

  • When Wildflyer was established, the organization employed four to six young people. It has since secured a brick and mortar location and is in the process of expanding both its coffee service and its training program. Civil Eats, February 2021.

  • The Nordic country, home to the most humane prison in the world, shares lessons with state officials. Featured on reddit front page with over 93k views. U.S. News & World Report, February 2019.

  • In Minnesota, Democrats used a newly won legislative trifecta to legalize marijuana, overhaul the pardons process, and limit no-knock warrants. But they also funneled hundreds of millions in new funding toward prisons and policing. The Appeal, May 2023.

  • Without sufficiently solid ice, skaters are missing out on weeks of fun at this World Heritage site. National Geographic, February 2018.

  • A fight for the future of northeastern Minnesota’s economy is pitting mining advocates who promise jobs against an outdoor tourism industry that promotes and protects the area’s pristine beauty. Al Jazeera, March 2021.

  • This work is integral to understanding changes in biodiversity—which is experiencing “unprecedented” declines, according to a 2019 UN report—and the impact of those changes on everything from pollinators to climate change. Belt magazine, June 2020.

  • By pairing sustainable design and construction with a student training program, the Page Street Housing Project is bringing high-performance residential design to those too often left out. AIA MN’s ENTER magazine, October 2021.

  • Minnesota business owners whose properties were damaged or destroyed in the civil unrest come together around a shared vision of an equitable and sustainable future for the neighborhood they love. AIA Minnesota’s ENTER magazine inaugural issue, January 2021.

  • A look at the tension between conserving Minnesota’s million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Area amid efforts to establish mines in its watershed. National Geographic, February 2021.

  • The goal is for the polling infrastructure to be up and running by March of 2020. Next City, September 2019.

  • The religious right gets most of the attention, but Minnesota’s religious progressives have big plans for 2020. The Minnesota Reformer, May 2020.

  • “The problem is that kids are leaving and not coming back.” Rewire.News, September 2017.

  • Hmong farmers make up roughly 50% of the growers at Twin City metro markets. Despite their critical role in local food production, the challenges that all growers contend with tend to hit Hmong farmers harder. Food Print, July, 2022.

Criticism & Analysis

  • During the pandemic, whether the CDC’s voice has been silenced has become something of a story in itself. Columbia Journalism Review, April 2020.

  • Although Shlesinger represents herself as a millennial, her viewpoints are certainly not representative of everyone in her generation. Rewire.news, September 2018.

  • Journalists, Kilgo finds, wield immense power when it comes to how protests are perceived by the public. Columbia Journalism Review, June 2020.

  • Ethnographers are working on solutions to help prevent Central American economies from being overtaken by surf tourists. But the real answer may lie in surfing itself. Pacific Standard, December 2017.

  • When men feel like things they’ve been promised—like, say, U.S. Supreme Court seats—are being withheld, this entitlement often results in anger. Rewire.News, October 2018.

  • I was tempted to dismiss the post as another frivolous piece of content on the internet, since WalletHub is hardly the definitive resource on women's issues. But it reflects a broader cultural misconception about what constitutes a "good life" for women—one that doesn't account for housing, reproductive rights, or even job stability. Rewire.news, March 2018.

  • In other words, the bonds between people and animals, especially dogs, can be just as significant — and in fact very similar to — those that we share with our own human family members. The Washington Post, August 2017.

  • The Public Information Officer is a frequently obstructive mechanism thinly veiled by a helpful sounding title. PIO-approved comments shape the narratives of their news coverage across the country on matters that range from the mundane to the extremely consequential. Columbia Journalism Review, May 2019.

  • Your socially conscious purchasing decisions don’t mitigate your place in a destructive global system. Fast Company, November 2015.

  • The last six months have been a relatively short, yet immersive, transplantation from undergraduate educations in sociology and anthropology into the world of social design, i.e. design for social change. Along the way, we’ve picked up on a few buzzwords, some more intuitively understandable than others: innovation, design thinking, human-centered, empathy, impact, multidisciplinary, with-not-for, transdisciplinary, ideate, prototype, transparency, iterative and, our personal favorite, cultural entrepreneurship. But what do these words actually mean? GOOD.is, March 2013.

    Co-authored with Lauren Weinstein.

  • We often hear this phrase used within the social design world as supporting evidence of a designer’s ingenuity above people’s self-articulated needs and desires. Of course, designers are makers: creative, solution-oriented problem solvers who can ideate beyond the conventional. But, what we see in the use of this quote is something else, something slightly uncomfortable, something that perpetuates a hierarchy of solution making and values. In a way, it implies that people don’t know what they want (or need), and we argue that this might be a dangerous attitude to have in making social change. GOOD.is, April 2023.

    Co-authored with Lauren Weinstein.

  • In a 2005 study published in the journal Work and Stress, “found a more specific pattern of health problems in freelancers: chronic strain and a reduced ability to relax,” as a result of long working hours in conjunction with an unpredictable workload. New York magazine’s Science of Us, July 2017.

  • “This felt more like a punch than a pinch.” SELF, October 2017.

Breaking News

  • Plaintiffs – aged five to 22 – argue Montana’s promotion of an energy system reliant on fossil fuels violates their right to a clean and healthy environment under the US state’s constitution. Al Jazeera English, June 2023.

  • If Roe v Wade decision falls, Minnesota will be surrounded by states where abortion will likely become illegal. Al Jazeera English, May 2022.

  • As attacks mount, advocates say the government must do more to combat hate speech and gun crimes. Al Jazeera English, December 2022.

  • The Minneapolis City Council recently formed a “truth and reconciliation commission” to examine the city’s history of racial oppression. A fertile area for examination: Covenants embedded in a property deed, banning people of color from buying or even occupying land. The Minnesota Reformer, November 2020.

  • US city recently passed a resolution allowing public broadcasting of the adhan all year round. Al Jazeera English, July 2022.

  • As jury selection begins on Monday, the City of Minneapolis touts community partnership while organizers remain skeptical. Al Jazeera English, March 2021.

  • On the anniversary of Floyd’s murder, amid the celebration, a community is still processing the pain of his death. Al Jazeera English, May 2021.

  • As canvassing gets under way, Wisconsin’s Republican Party has put out a call for volunteers to monitor the process.

    Breaking news coverage of the 2020 presidential election from Kenosha, Wisconsin. Al Jazeera English, November 2020.

Travel

  • Thanks to a relatively rare occurrence of conditions, interest in skating northern Minnesota’s unmaintained lakes and rivers has shot up this year. Condé Nast Traveler, 2024.

  • Covering Indigenous food ways for a package on less expected travel locales. Condé Nast Traveler, July 2022.

  • Tracing the efforts to create a new International Dark Sky Reserve that, at more than 9.8 million square miles, would be nearly larger than the existing 18 international reserves combined. Condé Nast Traveler, August 2021.

  • Thanks to a 19th-century surveying error, hundreds of acres of Minnesota’s old growth forest has been saved in pristine form. Condé Nast Traveler, February 2021.

  • This is how pampered pooches vacation in the increasingly pet-friendly world of luxury travel. Artful Living magazine, October 2019.

  • While it might seem like a secondary Chicago to outsiders, Minneapolis is the definition of a hidden gem. And thanks to the resilience required to weather Minnesota winters, it’s poised to remain that way for eternity. The Washington Post, June 2019.

    Written for the launch of WaPo’s digital travel product, By The Way.

  • Today, North Dakotans of Norwegian descent are the Peace Garden State’s largest ethnic group, one that has held onto its hearty culinary traditions over the years to an extent that’s hard to find in many other places in the U.S.

    * * *

    The Lakota people were forced to quickly adapt to their environment in the Dakotas, centering their diet on Indigenous food sources like North American bison alongside other game, fish, vegetables, and berries that were hunted, traded, or foraged. Chef Sean Sherman, who grew up in South Dakota, organized a celebration of these flavors with the first annual Lakota Food Summit, held in 2020 in Rapid City.

    Condé Nast Traveler, September 2020.

  • Today, the smell of sizzling pork and fish cooked over an open hardwood flame wafts through vendor-lined streets from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, where travelers can find Hmong grillers tucked into the stalls of Thai markets, selling flavorful meat as the honks of tuk-tuks create an urban symphony in the background. Condé Nast Traveler, July 2022.

  • Item The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act, a piece of legislation that has defined how the area is used and managed, was passed in 1968. Here’s a guide to paddling the BWCA during its anniversary season. Fodor’s Travel, July 2018.

  • Home to more than 10,000 lakes, the North Star State also offers world-class museums, national and state parks, and plenty of great places to grab a drink. AFAR, September 2021 (updated 2024).

  • A drive along this southern route reveals endangered landscapes, historic sites, and a German-style brewery that survived Prohibition. AFAR, September 2021.

  • Discover breathtaking nature, charming small towns, and even some great art on this route through western Minnesota. AFAR, September 2021.

  • Find your home away from home at these unique stays, from rural resorts and cozy B&Bs to stylish hotels in the center of the city. AFAR, September 2021.

  • Take a look at the best restaurants in Minneapolis, guaranteed to help get you through another tough winter. TimeOut, April 2018.

  • Looking to explore the city right? Consult our guide to the best things to do in Minneapolis, for locals and tourists alike. TimeOut, April 2018.

  • Find truly unbound adventures in the spaces between countries and continents. National Geographic, January 2018.

Academic

  • This article examines the current field of social design: its claims, practices, and methodologies. Findings discovered through qualitative research illuminate the current application of social design practices and offer critique around their use in the social sphere. This article argues that designers must be sensitive to a variety of complex social and cultural cues and structures or they risk contributing to, or practicing, design neocolonialism. The article offers two key theoretical suggestions to further the emerging field's progress. First, social design must shift its focus from one that is human-centered to one that is situation-centered. Second, it is imperative that social design develops a shared framework for understanding, executing, and evaluating its initiatives and interventions. Additionally, this article introduces a matrix to serve as an early iteration of a shared framework.

    My graduate thesis work, co-written with Lauren Weinstein, published in the peer-reviewed Design and Culture, volume 6.3.

  • A contribution to Developing Citizen Designers, a book intended to enable students, educators and designers in the early stages of their careers to learn and practice design in a socially responsible manner.

    Co-written with Lauren Weinstein.

  • Discussing the prevalence of neocolonialism in the practice of social design and how to avoid it in The Social Design Reader, an anthology.

    Co-written with Lauren Weinstein.

Appearances,
etc.