Over the past thirty years my byline has appeared in hundreds of national publications and websites. I publish so much that it is hard for me to update as frequently as I should.
To see all of my publications go to my contently profile here.
Portfolio
As Seen On:
The New York Times
“For a moment, songs let us share the same space in our minds, though it’s only as temporary as the memory occupying his.”
The New York Times
When Your Tween Is Bored (also in print)
“The other day my 11-year-old told me how “bored” she is. I get it. School just ended and her beloved sleep-away camp has been canceled.”
The New York Times
When Your Tween Acts Up on Lockdown
“My stuck-at-home 11-year-old spends her off-school hours on the online game platform Roblox. As screen time goes, it’s a pretty safe, kid-friendly and creative option, since with parental controls I’m able to lock down her privacy (that means no chats, ever).”
The New York Times
What To Do When Your Teen Is Trash-Talking You
“I don’t want to hurt your feelings, Mom, but I don’t want you picking out my clothes anymore,” my very independent 10-year-old daughter announced recently. “We have different taste, and yours isn’t good for me.”
Her in-your-face delivery has the tone of an athlete taunting someone on a rival sports team. When did I become her opponent?
The New York Times
“When my 10-year-old daughter was shunned by her friends a few years ago, we tried a surprisingly effective anti-bullying strategy.”
Winner of a 2020 ASJA Award
The New York Times
The Gas Goes Out and The Train Goes In
“It was a balmy summer Friday evening in 1992. The crowd resembled a horde of marching ants as they scurried about, focused on leaving the city.
I was not one of them. I had a mission.”
The New York Times
Tiny Love Stories “Maybe More Than Slightly”
“Why can’t you find someone?” my parents asked when I was 26. “He’s not here yet,” I said. “He’s in Africa.” (I’ve always been slightly psychic; my parents have always been slightly skeptical.)
Shondaland
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways
I live with hearing loss. Nobody but my family and closest friends know that beneath my cascading shoulder-length hair, I have worn miniscule, virtually invisible hearing aids with super-tiny microprocessors in each ear since my 30s because of a potent combination of genetics and all the rock concerts I went to as a teen.
Next Avenue/PBS
Lessons From a Babysitter with a Restless Spirit
She was my mom’s worst nightmare, but she taught me how I wanted to parent my daughter decades later
I had my daughter in my forties after a long bout with infertility, a little help from modern medicine and a few meridian-stimulating acupuncture sessions. She is a teenager now. At 15 years old she is dealing with a lot of firsts: her first boyfriend (a very sweet teenage boy), her first time traveling into the city with her friends, her first time going on vacation without me (to Florida).
These are all experiences that eluded me until I was much older because, back in the 70s, when I became a teen, I was sheltered, fearful and naïve. I don’t think my daughter could be naïve in the age of social media when everything is available, and where judgement is just as important as information.
AARP: The Ethel
Why Penny Marshall’s ‘Laverne’ Was the Role Model That Saved Me
“Given her notorious chutzpah — on- and off-screen — it isn’t surprising that Marshall was not afraid to tell someone to take a creative risk. It only makes me value her more.”
AARP: The Girlfriend
Dressbarn Was My Favorite Fashion Secret. But Then They Ruined A Good Thing
“I read with dismay that the parent company of Dressbarn, Ascena Retail Group, will be closing all 650 of its stores. The reason? The company, which also owns fiscally healthier Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant, claims it wants to focus on its other, more profitable brands.”
The Washington Post
How to Prevent Falls and Provide Comfort in a New Home for Seniors
(This article was also in print in the Local Living section)
My parents lived together their whole lives, first in their suburban home, later in an apartment and even later in an independent-living apartment in a senior community. But last year, when my dad, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, had to be placed in memory care, my octogenarian mom had to live by herself for the first time in her life.
The Washington Post
How Parents Can Help Tweens Develop Their Creative Muscles
“During the pandemic, long stretches of social isolation inspired our tween daughters to come up with creative ways to entertain themselves and connect with their peers. Estelle’s daughter began building a virtual world on Roblox and choreographing TikTok dance routines. Juli’s daughter honed her piano-playing skills and learned how to sew.”
The Washington Post
Add Social- Media Expectations to the List of Things You Tell a New Babysitter
“When my regular babysitter went on vacation, she suggested I hire her younger, 15-year-old sister, who had previously worked for me as a mother’s helper.
The morning after our new sitter watched our 7-year-old daughter, I heard how it went. “We had fun, Mom,” our little girl said. “And right before I went to sleep, I talked to a nice, brown-haired boy.”
The Washington Post
My Husband Does the Laundry, And He Should
“My husband does his own laundry. Let me repeat those words: My husband does his own laundry.
There is no expectation on me to do it for him, even though I work from home and we have a daughter in kindergarten.”
The Washington Post
My Child Is Still Out of Control
“Last year I wrote about my parenting mishaps with my then-five-year old, now nearly seven-year-old daughter and how I’d fix them in 2015.
Since then I’ve had people reach out to me from as far as Australia–where we have relatives– to tell me ‘you’re a horrible parent’ or ‘relax this phase will pass’ or ‘don’t worry, her behavior will get even worse when she’s a teenager.’ I received a lot of support, and not a little advice.”
The Washington Post
My Child Is Out of Control. Here’s What I’ll Do in 2015 to Change That
My daughter is 5 and a half years old going on 15. I get eye rolls from her on a daily basis, impatient ‘Duhs’ when I say something that is apparently just so obvious, and the insistence on having it her way, whether it’s a minor event (“I want 10 more minutes of cuddle time before bed, mommy”), or more major (“I want to wear open-toed sandals to school tomorrow, mommy”).
The Washington Post
6 Reasons We Don’t Let Our Daughter Sleep in Our Bed
“My husband is South-African, and culturally where he comes from bed sharing is a popular habit in families. But we did not let my 6-and-a-half-year-old daughter sleep in our bed. Why? Because we have seen relatives and friends go down that slippery slope and once you go there, there is no coming back.”
The Washington Post
You’re Pregnant. Why Does That Make People So Determined To Touch You?
I “popped” six months into my pregnancy, and I was thrilled to finally see my burgeoning belly jutting out under my bountiful breasts. After struggling with infertility for several years, I was ecstatic to be expecting.
Being radiant with child, however, came with unexpected side effects: I was made fair game for inappropriate comments, unwanted advice and marauding palms.
This essay was also in print.
Slate
The Tricks I Use To Move to The Front of the Queue
The first time I cut a line, I wasn’t really thinking about it. I was in Las Vegas on vacation and had come across a book signing for Suzanne Somers’ Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones. I had a little bit of a connection to Somers. A few years before, in the early aughts, I was editor in chief of the American Breast Cancer Guide, and Somers gave us an exclusive cover story about how she’d treated her breast cancer with a mistletoe extract that was not FDA-approved, instead of chemotherapy.
Determined to meet her, I walked to the front of the line. “Hi—I have to say hello to Suzanne because I was the editor in chief of a magazine she was in. I’ll only take a minute.” The woman grimaced but let me through.
Wired
How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing
Whether you’re a student, a journalist, or a business professional, knowing how to do high-quality research and writing using trustworthy data and sources, without giving in to the temptation of AIor ChatGPT, is a skill worth developing.
As I detail in my book Writing That Gets Noticed, locating credible databases and sources and accurately vetting information can be the difference between turning a story around quickly or getting stuck with outdated information.
WIRED
When to Reply on Social Media—and When to Not
“I have a tenet I follow when it comes to social media conflagrations. Don’t add your air to someone else’s fire.”
WIRED
How to Keep Kids Engaged in School — With Games
“I teach a journalism class at NYU to high school students via Zoom.”
WIRED
Friends, Fleetwood Mac, and the Viral Comfort of Nostalgia
“I have a habit that I don’t want to break. Every night, long after my husband is not-so-gently snoring next to me, I turn on the TV and laugh at the antics of Monica, Chandler, Joey, Ross, Phoebe, and Rachel on Friends—must-see TV from two decades ago. Even though I’ve probably seen each episode a hundred times, it seems to be the only move that gets me to sleep and stops the nervous whirring in my mind.
What’s really going on?”
Psychology Today
Why I Won’t Be Showing My Children Sad Movies This Year
“Please don’t elicit our children’s fears with your flicks.”
Parents Magazine
5 Signs You’re a Snowplow Parent (Like Me)
“Last month, my ten-year-old daughter came home sick from school, feverish, with a slight rash on her neck. I was concerned she had picked up a mosquito-borne illness on an overnight school hiking trip. “It’s a virus, nothing to worry about, there are bugs going around, just keep her hydrated, the after-hours pediatrician said.
The next day her fever rose, and the rash moved to her chest. The doctor’s office was booked till 7:30 p.m., and it was only 3 p.m. No way would I make my sick child wait that long.”
Parents Magazine
PSA: Science Says It’s Totally Fine to Have Babies After 35
“It’s true that pregnant people over age 35 are labeled as having ‘advanced maternal age.’ But despite common misconception, they can still have smooth gestations and healthy babies.”
Writer’s Digest
What To Do Pre-Launch To Get Your Book Noticed
My book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published distills my years of experience as a magazine editor, journalist, and writing teacher into 352 tip, trick, and strategy filled pages of the essay writing tips, pitching strategies, reporting tactics, and editor intel that helps me and my students get the attention of editors and get published.
To see how I maximized my book launch week, check it out here.
But before my book was published, I had to lay some groundwork. Here’s what I did three months pre-launch to set myself up for success. It proved surprisingly effective.
Writer’s Digest
What To Do to Maximize Your Launch Week and Get Your Book Noticed
“My book Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published launched in June 2023, from New World Library (NWL). The book distills my years of experience as a magazine editor, journalist, and writing teacher into 352 tip, trick, and strategy filled pages—Here’s what worked for me, and how you can make it work for yourself.”
Writer’s Digest
Polishing Your Prose: Tips for Self-Editing
“So you wrote your article or essay and feel ready to click send. Not so fast. Once you have written a piece, it’s important to edit yourself and revise. As an editor, writing coach, and adjunct writing professor at New York University, I teach my students these tips on how to get their work ready to send out the door.”
Writer’s Digest
8 Ways to Defend Yourself from Writing Coach Scams
“The profession of ‘writing coach’ has come under recent scrutiny.”
Writer’s Digest
I Had My Daughter In Midlife and She Became My Writing Muse
“My husband jokes with me that my midlife crisis was having my now 11-year-old daughter in my 40s.”
Forbes
What Is Your Intuitive Business Personality? Visionary, Artisan, Idealist, Or Adventurer?
“Have you ever wondered why some people gravitate toward the arts, and others are hooked on science? The answer, according to Judy George, in her book The Intuitive Businesswoman, is that it depends on your business personality, and if you know how to work with yours it will help you achieve success.”
Romper
Quarantine Has Done The Impossible — Allowed Me To Hold Onto My Tween
“Before COVID, anxiety lay on my chest like an elephant as I worried who my daughter was friends with, whether anyone was being a mean girl, whether her friends’ moms were safe drivers, whether sick kids were showing up in school, whether boys were being too physical during gym, and on. Sheltering in place has moved all these worries offstage.”
Romper
A Fake Uber Driver Tried To Pick Up Me & My Daughter
“It was supposed to be an uneventful trip. I was traveling with my 10-year-old daughter from my parent’s home in Maryland back to the hotel we were staying at in Virginia. I had called for an Uber driver using the app on my phone.”
The Independent
“Allegations of a mysterious jet sale to a corporation, forced IUD, cronyism between judges and lawyers, hacked phones, disappearing social media posts and captions, changing names of registered agents on the same day, and even possible attempted murder. If you think this is a John Grisham novel, think again. It’s Britney, bitch.”
The Independent
Elijah the Prophet will toast you on Zoom: Ways to get through a socially distanced Passover
“This year for Passover’s first Seder night — where families share the Biblical story of rebelling against slavery by the Egyptians and the Pharaoh by taking their clans and leaving — we were invited to celebrate with our friends in New York City. Unfortunately, coronavirus had other plans.”
Salon
I Was Determined To Be A Great Mother And A Loving Daughter: This Was Easier Said Than Done
“My daughter C is six and a half years old. When I look at her, sometimes I see myself, and sometimes I see my husband. She possesses both my ability to be a social butterfly and his stoic nature. And like us, she’s intense.”
Good Housekeeping
What Should I Do About My Tween’s Toxic Friend?
At the transitional stage of life between childhood and the teenage years, friendships can turn “toxic” in the blink of an eye, as friends — some flush in hormones — become “frenemies.”
Yahoo!
The Benefits of Meeting My Mother-in-law At My Lowest Point
“Strung out on Percocet, with smeared lipstick and sweat stains, I looked like a nightmare when I met my potential mother-in-law.”
Your Teen
5 Scientific Reasons Why You Should Get a Pet for Teens
“Every parent with a tween or teen child has had that moment when your child begs you to get a pet. You may have considered it, but now there are more reasons than ever to make that leap into pet ownership. In my experience, though we have a cat who is attached to me, I am seriously thinking about getting my 10-year-old a dog to give her an “emotional support” of her own. It turns out my timing is right.”
Hippocampus
Craft: Elevate Your Essays: Writing By Bringing The Interior to the Exterior
My writing students from NYU and Writer’s Digest often ask for advice on how they can improve their work. I often answer with the word “elevate.” It’s one of my favorites because it implies gracefulness and forward momentum, much like a good piece of writing.
The Digital Diary
Who Were You In A Previous Life?
An attractive woman in dangly earrings and a Bohemian black midi dress handed me a soft lavender blanket to snuggle under.
“I want you to feel comfortable,” she said. I think she was trying to make the whole experience more “therapeutic” and less spooky. But then, I am a fan of the supernatural. Who needs to dwell in the scientifically provable all the time? Sometimes, you need to take a bit of a spiritual leap.