I grew up in the rural green belt of London, England where I fell in love with literature and literary history. During my undergraduate degree at the University of Kent in Canterbury, and namely an exchange year abroad at UCLA, that love for literature transitioned into a passion for journalism and California sunshine. I moved to Los Angeles in 2007 to pursue an MA degree in journalism at USC and continue a freelance career in multimedia storytelling. And I have never looked back.
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My experience includes local, national and international reporting for news outlets such as the LA Weekly, Southern California Public Radio and the New Zealand Herald Tribune. My fascination with hyper-local journalism spawned a thesis about the future of the industry (titled, Can Grassroots Journalism Help Underserved Communities?) and, in 2008, led me to help found a hyper-local website covering South Los Angeles. I was managing editor until early 2011, when Patch became my next adventure.
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Now I live in Concord with my husband, reading, writing, exploring the Bay Area and continuing to drink my tea with milk.
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Beliefs:
1. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. - Plato.
2. Never discuss religion or politics at the dinner table.
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Politics: I am a registered Democrat with an open mind to all opinions and factual arguments. I believe that the mind should be a thoroughfare for all thoughts and not a select party.
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Religion: Non-denominational Christian, with an almost pantheistic love for the outdoors and a strong appreciation for being still (Psalm 46:10.)
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Local Hot-Button Issues: Social justice issues that affect quality of life or access to opportunities, including education, immigration, health care and social welfare.
Oct. 11 is National Coming Out Day, an observance to support the coming out process for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. What has your "coming out" journey been like?
Around 38 people showed up for the 6 p.m. general assembly Monday, despite heavy rain in Berkeley.
"Wars make corporations rich": Vietnam veteran Russell Bates explains why he is camping out in the rain to Occupy Berkeley.
A video camera suspended on a crane provides a bird's eye view of California Memorial Stadium as it undergoes a seismic retrofit.
Whether you're participating, watching or empathizing, share your Occupy Berkeley moments here by clicking "Add photos & video," commenting or emailing berkeley@patch.com.
Over the last two years, UC Berkeley has spent more money propping up Intercollegiate Athletics than it obtained from the recent 9.6 percent student tuition fee increase.
Protesters decided to start a week early after a planning meeting on Saturday outside Bank of America in Downtown Berkeley.
Earlier this week in a lecture at UC Berkeley, Ralph Nader said that university resources should be spent on academics instead of sports. What do you think?
Halloween approacheth. What are you and your kids wearing this year? Share your ideas and win a Patch water bottle!
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died Wednesday at age 56 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. What do you think was his most wonderful legacy?
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died Wednesday at age 56 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. What do you think was his most wonderful legacy?
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died Wednesday at age 56 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died Wednesday at age 56 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. What do you think was his most wonderful legacy?
George Yang created this video to show the linguistic diversity at UC Berkeley, which has 57 language departments.
UC Berkeley's health services is encouraging all Cal students, faculty and staff to receive an additional dose of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine, or MMR.
On Saturday, Oct 15., Occupy Berkeley protesters will gather outside of Bank of America to rally against corporate greed. Is it an effective way to spread the message?
Saul Perlmutter is the 22nd Nobel winner for UC Berkeley. He shares his prize with two members of the competing High-Z Supernova Search team.
A group of protesters braved the rain Monday night to share a song on Solano Avenue.
Higher test results, plus narrower achievement gaps, make these Berkeley schools the ones to watch.
The Occupy Wall Street movement comes to Berkeley on Saturday. Oct. 15, with a rally planned outside Bank of America.
