About Me

I am a Berwyn homeowner and currently serve on the Berwyn Public Library Board of Trustees. I currently work as a senior editor at Chicago Review Press, and have written 10 travel books, including my most recent, Progressive Nation, a travel guide to people, places, and movements that have changed this country for the better.

For many years I have been active in Chicago progressive circles, working with Chicago Area Code Pink, the Near West Citizens for Peace and Justice, and media reform issues through Free Press. I have also worked with local residents to have five advisory referenda successfully placed on the Berwyn township ballot covering issues from the Iraq War to environmental initiatives.

Before working in publishing I taught fourth and seventh grades in the Chicago Public Schools, having earned my master’s degree in elementary education at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

From 1986 to 1988, I served my country as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa. I was part of a team working to combat deforestation and global warming; half of us worked to establish tree nurseries and the other half taught methods of firewood conservation, primarily through the use of mud stoves.

I have lived, studied, and worked in the Chicago area since 1990.