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Welcome to my world and thanks for adding to it! This is just a little extension of my first newspaper, called the Family News. I was seven, and my mother cranked it out on a mimeograph machine. I announced that my turtle had “runned away.” But now, I don’t have to distribute by hand any more. I’ve had a wonderful, amazing career as an NPR host and journalist going back – OK,let’s keep that our little secret. A VERY LONG TIME, and it all began in Chicago. I’ve written a memoir (1997) called Daughter of the Queen of Sheba which has been translated into a bunch of languages (Japanese! Portuguese!) and also been adapted for a film. Watch this space, we hope 2011 is the year it really gets going. I’m at work on a second memoir. Beyond my guest-host and reporting contributions to NPR; I’m always traveling, writing and talking to people: my specialty.

  • Bewitched, Bothered and Behatted

    From the beginning, people put feathers, bark, and leaves on their heads. Here's a news flash: WE STILL DO!! Herewith, an interview with Stephen Jones, the brilliant milliner whose show for the Victoria & Albert Museum in London has now...

  • Oscar-nominee Joan Allen is the Queen of Sheba: NYC, Oct. 17

    You've seen her in Nixon, the Crucible, and the Contender-- and how about in the Bourne Identity Series? Fellow small-town girl, Joan Allen, does a staged dramatic reading under the direction of Daniel Barnz for FOUNTAIN HOUSE. IT'S A BENEFIT...

  • Any Friend of Aramaic is a Friend of Mine! "Good Luck On Your Resurrection!"

    I met Karen Stern in December of 2010 when I spilled coffee on papers she was grading -- oops! "Isn't that Aramaic?" I said. Her attitude is: Any friend of Aramaic is a friend of mine. Karen told me she was exploring Aramaic tomb graffiti in...

  • Nashville: Up From Prostitution

    Photographer Stephen Alvarez & I spent several weeks reporting this story for NPR. You can probably find more on NPR's website to be honest, but -- I can say here that it was simply one of the most amazing stories I've ever done. Our series...

  • Life Below The City Of Light: Paris Underground

    My latest story, far beneath the beaten path!