Writing
The Bone Collector
Vanity Fair / November 2021
In 2014, the FBI discovered an entire museum—and thousands of human remains–in the home of a 90-year-old Indiana man who hosted the Boy Scouts and claimed to have detonated the atomic bomb. Was he a pillar of his community or the most prolific grave robber in modern American history?
Behind the Curtain
Vanity Fair / July-August 2020
At the height of the pandemic in New York City, funeral homes struggled—and sometimes failed—under the weight of a crushing burden. A story about one mortuary at the heart of the outbreak.
Shots Fired
TIME / September 21, 2017
A growing surveillance network aims to fight crime by tracking gunshots.
The Death and Life of the Shopping Mall
TIME / July 31, 2017
As America’s malls close down, more than stores are vanishing along with them.
Greed, Politics, and the Biggest Oil Boom in Decades
TIME / March 21, 2016
In 2007, Oklahoma had one earthquake. In 2015, there were more than 900. What happened?
The Poisoning of an American City
TIME / February 1, 2016
How a disastrous chain of events corroded Flint’s water system — and the public trust.
The Last Choice
TIME / September 28, 2015
Trained to preserve life, some doctors are now fighting for fatally ill patients who want to die on their own terms.
The Joy of Less
TIME / March 23, 2015
Americans have more possessions than any society in history. Can we finally take control of them?
Fatally Flawed
TIME / May 26, 2014
Lethal injection was supposed to be quick, painless, and humane. So why is it now so troubling?
The Top of America
TIME / March 17, 2014
After 12 years of anticipation, the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere is ready for its close-up. How 10,000 workers lifted 104 floors, gave new life to an international symbol and created one spectacular view.
The People Who Answer the Phone
TIME / November 25, 2013
Suicide rates are rising in America. Can the voice on the other end of this line help?
The New American Way of Death
TIME / June 14, 2013
One out of two Americans now choose cremation over burial. Our changing attitude toward the final rite of passage says everything about the way we live now.
Waiting for Change
TIME / February 4, 2013
The 1 cent coin, long derided as obsolete, has never been more threatened — yet America still won’t let the penny drop.
Gloom of Night
TIME / December 19, 2011
How the U.S. Postal Service fell apart, and the people who are trying to save it.
