A selection of early work, sorted chronologically and (generally) searchable by topic.
Wrestling With Words (Psychology Today, November 1998)
For people who stutter, speaking is not just a physical disability but also a social barrier and obstacle to happiness. Now gaining popularity is a radical notion: that stutterers are better off learning to accept their impediment rather than striving to overcome it.
Embraced in Spain (Salon, June 1998)
The author, stuttering in Spanish with a group of working-class 20-year-olds. An all-time favorite.
Spiritual Union: A Case Study (The Nation, December 1997)
Guatemalan immigrants build a remarkable labor organization at a North Carolina poultry slaughterhouse.
The New Men’s Movement (New Woman, October 1997)
What happens when 50,000 evangelical men gather for a Promise Keepers convention? Check your preconceptions at the stadium gate.
Rain of Nails (Out, June 1997)
When an anti-gay bomb shattered the peace in Atlanta, was the far Right’s new “leaderless resistance” to blame?
Murder on the Mountain (Out, November 1996)
A love story of two women murdered in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park.
No Ways Tired (Southern Exposure, Summer 1996)
Kmart workers in Greensboro, N.C., are invoking the spirit and tactics of the civil rights movement to create a new model for union organizing. (Opens as a PDF.)
Statesmanship vs. Helmsmanship (The Nation, February 1996)
How the senior senator from North Carolina holds the world hostage to his isolationist agenda. Also, this story from Out about Helms’ anti-LGBTQ crusade.
Taking Stock (Southern Exposure, Spring 1994)
Workers thought the days of paternalism at Cone Mills were long past—until the company offered to make them part-owners. (Opens as a PDF.)
The Marines Face a New Fight (Boston Globe and Indy Week, February 1993)
Meet a few good men—some of whom are gay.
Highway Robbery (Indy Week, May 1992)
An award-winning five-part investigative series examining how campaign contributions influence North Carolina’s $1.6 billion transportation budget, harming communities and the environment in the process.
Factory Clearance (Southern Exposure, Fall 1990)
Three years after the closure of its American Tobacco factory, Durham workers struggle to make ends meet. (Opens as a PDF.)
Faerie Culture (Southern Exposure, Fall 1989)
Pagan ritual, country living, and a little magic along the 36th parallel.
Don’t Count Your Chickens (Southern Exposure, Summer 1989)
Poultry companies promise farmers good money—but some growers end up with big debts and empty barns. Part of a package that won the National Magazine Award for Public Interest. (Opens as a PDF.)
North Carolina Gay Pride Pulls Out Fundamentalists (Gay Community News, July 1986)
Civil rights meet the Christian Right. (Opens as a PDF.)
