Never underestimate the power of a well-written idea. The following are stories and articles that I’ve written for various outlets.

Philadelphia Daily News: “Exhibition Fights Image of Gangster’s Paradise” – While in Johannesburg, I wrote a piece about the stunning young photographer Sipho Gongxeka that was featured in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Humongulous: “An Enthralling Tale of Piracy” – I was featured on the “Freshly Pressed” section of WordPress for this piece about a post-rock musician from Georgia whose music was stolen by a Costa Rican band and sold as their own. It explores an unexpected dark side of the way the internet has changed the music industry for smaller artists, but ends on a glimmer of hope.

JUMP Philly

I write stories about Philadelphia’s best local artists and photograph cool shows for JUMP, an independent music mag and website:

“Art Makes the DJ” – Get Up (JUMP Spring 2014) – For this cover story in the Spring 2014 issue, I hung out with DJ and visual artist Get Up, whose work is sometimes legal and sometimes not (read more to find out what I mean).

The War & Peace Tour – When I did a Q&A with rapper Brother Ali at his show in Philadelphia, I didn’t waste time with boring questions. I also photographed the night’s show, which he co-headlined with Immortal Technique.

“New Sound Brass: The Instant Party” (JUMP Spring 2015) – Unconventional artists are the most fun to write about. I interviewed this 10-piece brass ensemble about their unique sound and irrepressible energy.

 

HonorsLounge

I am a co-founder and former editor-in-chief for the Temple University Honors student-run blog HonorsLounge.com. For four years, I oversaw the growth of the website from a small team of about 7 writers to a bustling operation of over 20 writers, photographers, filmmakers, and web developers. In addition to editing content for the site, I wrote some articles of my own.

“5 Video Games That Influenced My Development” – Part of the HonorsLounge ethos is to always look for a unique angle on topics. So, instead of compiling a list of my favorite games, I wrote about how games can be a big part of growing up.

“The Wrong Conversation” – This opinion piece came after news of an assault on Temple students off campus, which highlighted the toxic attitude the University community has toward its neighbors in North Philadelphia. This piece succeeded in getting people talking, being shared over 40 times from my personal Facebook profile alone.

“Meet Pat Donlevy, The ‘God Guy'” – Philadelphia is full of interesting characters, like this man who preaches publicly on Temple’s campus. For this profile piece, I wanted to humanize a seemingly antagonistic figure.

 

Temple in Spain

I was the official blogger for the Temple University in Spain Program for the Spring 2013 semester.  Read about my experiences navigating a new culture and language:

“Asturias, Patria Querida” – The Temple in Spain program took us to Oviedo, the capital city of the northern province of Asturias. Culture there is a lot different than the stereotypical image of Spain, and so I dedicated an article to honestly and thoughtfully digging into the province’s idiosyncrasies.

“The ‘Falla’ Burns Strong” – The Valencian festival of “Las Fallas” is one of Spain’s most wild and colorful celebrations. Citizens spend all year building massive, beautifully designed effigies that are ceremoniously burned at the end of the week-long festival.