aging can often make the world feel smaller. for nyt well, I wrote about how VR companies are trying to expand older adults' worlds and strengthen their social connections through shared experiences (or: I went "swimming with dolphins" with my elder sources) www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/t...
Rachel Aviv (5) Patrick Radden Keefe (4) Tressie McMillan-Cottom (2) Jon Mooallem (2) Becca Rothfeld (2) Pablo Torre (2) Lili Anolik Laura Bassett Keri Blakinger Katherine Boo Jamelle Bouie Jimmy Breslin Taffy Brodesser-Akner Jessica Bruder Robert Caro Ta-Nehisi Coates Marin Cogan Pamela Colloff McKay Coppins Jenny Diski Rayne Fisher-Quann Ann Friedman Brian Goldstone Vivian Gornick Elon Green Katy Hessel Kerry Howley May Jeong Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah Marisa Kabas Bob Kolker Oliver Knox Jill Lepore Ariel Levy Da Lin Ryan Mac Mary McCarthy John McCright John McPhee Julia Métraux Daniel Moulthrop Amanda Mull Vann Newkirk II Michelle Nijhuis David Quammen Josephine Riesman David Roth Eli Saslow Jennifer Senior Lila Shapiro Jeff Sharlet Clint Smith Sarah Stillman Studs Terkel Derek Thompson Jia Tolentino Sarah Topol Jenny Vrentas Sarah Weinman Emily Witt Matt Zoller Seitz
@charleylocke.bsky.social's and I ask our freelancing students about a couple journalists they admire, so I was curious to write out the whole list (minus us). Some good taste in this group! Multiple votes for @praddenkeefe.bsky.social @tressiemcphd.bsky.social @jmooallem.bsky.social @pablo.show
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I'm texting with a freelance writer friend about how she needs to bet on herself—advice I learned from *another* freelance friend. writers, may I suggest betting on yourself by snagging the *last spot* in me and @greenwell.bsky.social's class on building a freelance career flyingsolofreelancing.com
reminds me of the time that a high school senior asked me when I applied to college and, when I replied "2009" (very normal/young time to apply to college), he earnestly asked me, "what was it like to apply to college before the internet existed?"
for Businessweek, I talked with dozens of people who have retired for their expert advice on what to do (and what to avoid), from financial best practices to adjusting to being at home all day with your spouse to how Gene Simmons finds joy in the little things
www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
megan I am functionally asleep right now don't bully me publicly
I'm texting with a freelance writer friend about how she needs to bet on herself—advice I learned from *another* freelance friend. writers, may I suggest betting on yourself by snagging the *last spot* in me and @greenwell.bsky.social's class on building a freelance career flyingsolofreelancing.com
if the article about the Fortune bro has made you despondent about making it as a journalist without “writing” stories with AI, @charleylocke.bsky.social and I have *two spots left* in our next six-week class about building a freelance career.
oh, we're doing Freelancer Pay Discourse? perfect time to announce that @charleylocke.bsky.social and I are starting another round of our class on how to build a freelance career! you can actually make freelancing work without just waiting for people to offer you $3 a word, I promise. sign up now!
good news for magazines: my extremely offline husband just asked me, “have you heard of an article about gooning by daniel kolitz?”
freelance journalists! learn how to build a career that's sustainable, interesting, and fun from @greenwell.bsky.social and me in our six-week intensive. the class is almost sold out! flyingsolofreelancing.com
I hear from a lot of people who think there's no way to make freelancing work, but it's easily the most sustainable and stable job I've ever had. If you're freelance-curious, consider signing up for the class @charleylocke.bsky.social and I are teaching on how to pull it off.
OUT: bracing yourself for layoff season, navigating emotionally draining workplaces, cold-pitching
IN: taking a class about how to build a satisfying freelance career with @greenwell.bsky.social and me
flyingsolofreelancing.com
Thanks to a generous donation, we have added another scholarship slot for the class! (Details about how to apply in the link below.) We’re about half-full, so get in now if you want to participate.
for the new york times magazine, I wrote about people through objects that defined them: the recliner where Brian Wilson quieted his anxiety; the cross that Ozzy Osbourne’s welder dad made for him; how Kitty Dukakis defied convention through her wedding dress www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/m...
I often hear from burnt-out journalists considering freelancing. as I tell them: come on in, the water is fine! if you're also freelance-curious, @greenwell.bsky.social and I designed a class to help you figure out how to do it. flyingsolofreelancing.com
Editors: I have a fun Esses Magazine project in need of a Miami-based freelancer with extensive knowledge of the city/food/culture (racing expertise optional). Who knows somebody who fits the bill?
@charleylocke.bsky.social and I designed a class to help freelancers make more money from more sources, and have more fun doing it. Not just how to pitch, but how to find lucrative work, how to build community, how to manage your money. We’d love it you joined us. flyingsolofreelancing.com
when I was laid off, I couldn't have imagined that I would find freelancing to be the most interesting, stable, and lucrative job I've ever had. five years later, I can't imagine wanting a staff job instead.
if you're freelancing-curious, come learn how to make your own good job in journalism
@greenwell.bsky.social and I are teaching a class about how to build a freelance career: how to pitch effectively, find colleagues, be a good boss to yourself, and so much more. Join us for a 6-week intensive on how to create the best job you've ever had! flyingsolofreelancing.com
and if you want to learn more from @greenwell.bsky.social, me, and others about how to make freelancing a financial success, check back here on Jan 5!
I'm always for more transparency about how to make freelancing work! here's my income breakdown for this year:
48% writing (reporting)
40% academic/brand writing
10% event production
2% teaching
My pal and freelancer extraordinaire @charleylocke.bsky.social and I are working on a cool project to help other full-time freelancers and wanna-be full-time freelancers make it work financially, so STAY TUNED. 🤭
@greenwell.bsky.social wrote a real banger about the higher ed crisis we're often not talking about: what's happening to small, mid-tier liberal arts colleges. come for the dire truth, stay for the beautiful scene work www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
omg
just called Kaiser's medical advice hotline and the nurse answered the phone by sneezing three times. astonishingly efficient role reversal: Nurse Patrick, how are YOU feeling today?
Cool perk of my beat though is that today I won bingo at senior housing
every time I forget how weird reporting trips are… traveling to go be as extroverted and emotionally engaged with strangers as possible, and in the off-time I’m like scarfing down a weird sandwich in a rental car and wandering around an anodyne/interchangeable motel room
I’m in line at jiffy lube and the teens sitting on a nearby bench are talking about how much they love the paris review. magazine culture is alive and well, folks, and it’s getting an oil change in portland.