“I wanted the architecture of this story to feel recursive, and I hope that ultimately the meditations in the museum are in conversation with the experiences that happened outside of the museum.”

“I wanted to take a stab at starting some dialogue over a very nuanced issue even before I have any real solutions figured out.”

“It was only after I was able to look at this story as if it was about a fictional character that I think I made the connections and patterns that brought it to life.”

“I’m interested in cultural and aesthetic dimensions of human relationships with other animals, so naturally this “puffin problem” was a topic that spoke to me.”

“Science writing taught me the value of concise and succinct writing. It comes in handy when I’m drafting fiction.”

“Country music has incredible narratives about high-drama situations: adventure, crumbling marriages, tragic accidents, murder, and—my favorite high-drama narrative—the cost of ambition.”

“I include details that are lived in and lovingly collected because they usher movement throughout a life.”

“This recent moment and the moments portrayed in "Sister" remind me that my relationships need not follow the classic scripts of growing up.”

“In one sense, it’s refreshing to shape the experience into a narrative that brings out the humanity of those involved, but reaching back into that regrettable decade-and-a-half has been a struggle at times as well.”

“I really wasn’t sure if the essay would work as well on the page, but it’s fun for me to read aloud, and I edited the sentences and lines with that oral delivery in mind.”

"I was captivated by the charisma of the wrestlers, the gaudy costumes, the grandiosity of the ring, the stage, the event, which was such an escape from small-town Iowa, where I was raised."

"The only way I could approach it with any validity was from the perspective I have now: distant, detached, but still able to marvel."

“Reading slows time down. It puts my brain back together.”