Recently the Washington Post asked me to answer this question, pulling from the interviews I conducted for the Not Working Project. The nature of the question ruffles me a bit because I don’t like the implications of the word “blame” … Continue reading →

Just hours ahead of the first presidential debates, I have my fingers crossed, hoping we’ll hear substantive input about what these two men want to do to improve the employment possibilities in this country. But more importantly, I want to … Continue reading →

Recently I was stumped in a radio interview when asked to highlight government programs I had come across that have successfully helped the jobless. It surprised–and disappointed–me that nothing stood out. After the interview, of course, I did remember interviewees … Continue reading →

On Monday,The Daily Beast published my essay on the meaning of Labor Day–something I argue we’ve pretty much forgotten altogether. Who better to explore the meaning of Labor Day than those who are seeking labor? In the essay I focus on … Continue reading →

Recently I’ve come across a few creative outputs from folks confronting unemployment. One of the positive throughlines I noticed while conducting interviews for Not Working is the impetus to take anger or hurt or isolation or fear or all of … Continue reading →

Most recently I was in Durham, North Carolina, to do a reading with two excellent folks from NOT WORKING, George Ploghoft and Bridgette Lacy. After the event I had the pleasure of talking to Tess Vigeland on NPR’s Marketplace with Bridgette. … Continue reading →

In Indianapolis we had a full line up of readers with Judy Wolf, Kelly Graham-MacDonald, and Nancy Lee. BookMamas—a fantastic independent store—hosted us. All three of these women have tremendous—and different—stories. I’ve always felt a very certain connection to Judy … Continue reading →

In St. Louis, Roni Chambers and I read at a regular Tuesday morning meeting for the GO Network. Roni’s story is particularly special as she worked as an HR executive who had the task of ‘separating… a couple hundred people’ … Continue reading →

I had the good fortune of reading with Wendy Hamilton at House of Loom in Omaha. My thanks to Brent for sharing his space with us. And of course to Wendy for not only giving an inspired and energetic reading … Continue reading →

Check out Not Working on The Takeaway: “An Oral History of Our Troubled Economy” It was a pleasure talking wtih Celeste Headlee about some of the highlights from all the conversations that have been a part of the project so … Continue reading →