Nonfiction articles

I officially call myself a travel writer now! But I dabble in other freelance pools by writing on real estate, health, gender issues, literature, art, food and wine, and history. Here is a selection of stories which appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, Fodor’s, Lit Hub, Atlas Obscura, Wine Enthusiast, and others. I’m also a day rate freelancer with Time Out magazine’s U.S. travel team: click here for those 450+ articles.

Wall Street Journal Off Duty: For 1920s Storybook charm, escape to California’s Carmel-by-the-Sea: link. Photograph: Douglas Keister
Wall Street Journal’s Mansion section: Once Upon a Time – Storybook architecture cast a spell on west coast architecture: link.
Time Out: I was the only guest on this remote island’s glamping pod: link.
Fodor’s: The notorious party island of Ibiza is gloriously chill in the off season: link.
Time Out: 11 places to “visit” the Titanic that aren’t on the ocean floor.
Time Out: See Come From Away for the first time in the city it takes place in: Gander, Newfoundland. Link here. Photograph: Brian Mosher, the real-life “Janice”, shows a photo of himself reporting at the time.
Time Out: Best Brutalist Hotels in the US: link.
Thrillist: Feeling lucky? Here’s how to pan for gold in California: link.
Photograph: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
Time Out: The Best Retro Hotels for Mid-Century Modern Vibe: link.
Wine Enthusiast: Meet the Brother who Brews Beer in Maine’s Friars’ Brewhouse Tap Room: link.
Photograph: Courtesy of Brother Donald Paul

Oakland Magazine:

“Pixar’s Inside Out Is a Love Letter to Kids: Pixar’s latest delights with runaway emotions”

http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Pixars-Inside-Out-Is-a-Love-Letter-to-Kids/

The Monthly:

“Donner Dinner Party: An Underappreciated Oakland Author Reports His Take on an Unusual Evening”

http://www.themonthly.com/history1503.html

Diversity Woman Magazine:

“Ditch Your Comfort Zone: Traveling to a destination with a new mind-set can lead to the most rewarding vacation of your life”

Ditch Your Comfort Zone

The Writer Magazine:

“Keep your plot threads under control: When it comes to adding significant plot lines to your novel, you don’t want too many, or too few”

https://www.writermag.com/2015/11/05/plot-threads/

Parents Press Magazine:

“The Wide World of Birthday Traditions: In many ethnic communities, birthdays are celebrated with a lot more than cake and candles:”

http://www.parentspressbayarea.com/Parents-Press/June-2014/The-Wide-World-of-Birthday-Traditions/

Oakland Magazine:

John McCrea and Cake:

http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakland-Magazine/January-February-2012/Crazy-for-CAKE/S

I’ve also researched local history in Oakland, California, with two books on that topic.

Oakland’s Neighborhoods was created with a grant from the city of Oakland and incorporates my histories of each neighborhood, as well as poems/stories by residents who live in them.

Oakland Hills is a photographic book from Arcadia’s local history series. Many thanks to the Oakland History Room and many Oakland residents for sharing photographs with me.

Finally, I’ve worked as a columnist for several magazines over the years. My favorite was writing the Oakland history column for The Montclarion newspaper from July 1999 to September 2011, twelve happy years of dipping into the history of the city I love. Someday I will collate those columns into an omnibus and go driving around on a busman’s holiday.

I wrote an opinion column for the Gilroy Dispatch newspaper 9/09-1/12 and was a columnist for Parents Press magazine 10/11- 10/18. I continue to write regularly for Diversity Woman magazine, Oakland magazine and others. When I get a great idea, I pitch editors. If you’re an editor with a potential assignment for me, reach me at erika @ this website’s name.