I grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland, which is a cool, hippie suburb of Washington, D.C. I graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in film studies and worked in New York City’s independent film industry before becoming a newspaper reporter in 2004.

I’ve written articles about everything from pirate attacks to professional mini-golfers to dogs trained to find wild animal poop for science experiments. Along the way, I’ve won numerous awards, including a prestigious Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan.

My first book will be published in June 2012 by Grand Central Publishing. I also write a weekly column for The Bulletin.

I live in Bend, Oregon with my husband, Scott, our son, Sam, and our dog, Sylvia. Our last name is pronounced mc-CULL-oh.