Selected Work

Impurity

Two Books on the Anthropocene

Originally published November 30, 2015 in Los Angeles Review of Books

THEY WARNED US about this. In California, the future has arrived in the form of desiccated land, 100-degree autumn days, and freakish fires that burned more than 300,000 acres in 2015.

Originally published Fall 2015 in Dissent

On August 12, twenty-one young Americans, led by the organization Our Children’s Trust, filed a lawsuit against the federal government. By now, President Obama is used to getting sued, but these were not his usual adversaries.

Review of 'Giving Up Baby,' by Laury Oaks

Originally published September/October 2015 in Pacific Standard

On Christmas Eve, 2007, a blond woman in her late 30s arrived at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut, with a crying newborn in her arms. The woman had given birth alone at home and tied off the umbilical cord with a rubber band.

Review of 'Leaving Orbit,' by Margaret Lazarus Dean

Originally published May 22, 2015 in Los Angeles Times

In 1969, the moon landing brought together a nation, millions slack-jawed in the glow of their televisions. In 1986, the explosion of the Challenger became a defining moment for a generation of schoolchildren.

The Third Los Angeles: Can It Truly Become a Green, Sustainable City?

Originally published April 19, 2015 in Slate

Earlier this month, Gov. Jerry Brown’s announcement of California’s first-ever mandatory restrictions on water use drew attention to the state’s uneasy relationship with its natural resources.