I’ve written essays and criticism, print and web features, and reported pieces, mostly about books (nearsighted bookworm), science (geology degree), and nerd stuff (raging nerd). For the determined Internet stalker, find a more comprehensive list of articles here.
Book Criticism
Four debut novels, The New York Times Book Review
Three short story collections, The New York Times Book Review
Having and Being Had by Eula Biss, Guernica
Stories of the Sahara by Sanmao, trans. Mike Fu, Bookforum
Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer, The New York Times Book Review
Three Dystopian Novels, The New York Times Book Review
How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell, The Believer
Rising by Elizabeth Rush, Bay Nature
The 2019 Tournament of Books: Milkman vs. The Italian Teacher
Adele by Leila Slimani, San Francisco Chronicle
Eager by Ben Goldfarb, Bay Nature
All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung, The Rumpus
Timefulness by Marcia Bjornerud, Bay Nature
There There by Tommy Orange, San Francisco Chronicle
Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles, Los Angeles Review of Books
Eternal Life by Dara Horn and How to Stop Time by Matt Haig, Los Angeles Review of Books
Sourdough by Robin Sloan, San Francisco Chronicle
I contribute unsigned reviews to Kirkus and The New Yorker’s Briefly Noted column.
Essays
“Can This Two-Week Program Make You a Better Reader—And Do You Want It To?,” Electric Literature
“Why I Hide from Writerly Dread in the Pages of Self-Help,” Literary Hub
“‘Circe’ Shows Us How Storytelling Is Power—And How That Power Can Be Seized,” Electric Literature
“Looking Up,” University of Chicago Magazine. An essay in which I wax sentimental about the summer I spent hunting gargoyles at my alma mater.
The New York Times for Kids
I contribute frequently to the New York Times for Kids, a print section in the New York Times on the last Sunday of every month.
Cats vs. Dogs: For this very special March 2020 themed issue, I charted out how dogs and cats, over thousands of years, have transformed from feral animals to our adorable best friends. 
“The Body Issue”: The December 2019 section included a four-page, nearly life-sized spread dedicated to how kids’ bodies work, annotated by me and Nick St. Fleur. 
For the October 2019 section (Halloween-themed!), I wrote a story cataloging more than 40 phobias, both strange and common. 
For the November 2017 kids section, I wrote a cover-story explainer of how CRISPR works, complete with a prediction matrix and a how-to guide.
