My Works
An essential guide for writers on how to use rich detail to enliven their work.
BORN UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME: The Memoir of a Cold War Spy's Daughter
Published by Potomac Books, March 2012
A memoir of my childhood as the daughter of a covert CIA officer
A memoir of my childhood as the daughter of a covert CIA officer
“Caring for Mom, Mum and Maman”
The Washington Post, January 10, 2010.
A look at how older people’s quality of life is shaped by their governments’ health care policies.
A look at how older people’s quality of life is shaped by their governments’ health care policies.
“Throwing the Bums Out, Within and Without,”
The Washington Post, March 30, 2008
A celebration of Argentina’s beauty—and an interweaving of Argentina’s political history with my own evolution.
A celebration of Argentina’s beauty—and an interweaving of Argentina’s political history with my own evolution.
BREAD OF THREE RIVERS: THE STORY OF A FRENCH LOAF
Beacon Press, 2001.
The stories of the baker, wheat farmer, water technicians, sea salt farmers, and yeast cultivators whose labor contributes to the creation of a delicious French village loaf.
The stories of the baker, wheat farmer, water technicians, sea salt farmers, and yeast cultivators whose labor contributes to the creation of a delicious French village loaf.
“The Tyranny of Optimism”
Aspen Daily News, April 11, 2007
How the American penchant for and insistence upon blindered optimism can undermine American foreign policy. A case for measured pessimism, especially in presidents.
How the American penchant for and insistence upon blindered optimism can undermine American foreign policy. A case for measured pessimism, especially in presidents.
"Rainlight"
UNROOTED CHILDHOODS, Intercultural Press, 2004.
A memoir of the new-found delights of an American girl plunked down in The Netherlands.
A memoir of the new-found delights of an American girl plunked down in The Netherlands.
"Rowing to Leiden"
SOUTHWEST REVIEW, Volume 87, Numbers 2&3, 2002.
A story of the push-and-pull at the heart of the mother-daughter relationship.
A story of the push-and-pull at the heart of the mother-daughter relationship.
DUSK ON THE CAMPO: A JOURNEY IN PATAGONIA
Henry Holt, 1991.
An intimate portrait of the lives of the sheep ranchers of Patagonia and their forbidding land.
An intimate portrait of the lives of the sheep ranchers of Patagonia and their forbidding land.
OF MANY LANDS:JOURNAL OF A TRAVELING CHILDHOOD
Foreign Service Youth Foundation, 1997.
A memoir and writing workbook for people raised abroad.
A memoir and writing workbook for people raised abroad.
"Longing for America: Notes from a Traveling Childhood"
NOTES FROM A TRAVELING CHILDHOOD, Foreign Service Youth Foundation, 1994.
Thoughts on the appetite for the elixir of other lands--and the longing for home--that inhabits the heart of a child raised across seas.
Thoughts on the appetite for the elixir of other lands--and the longing for home--that inhabits the heart of a child raised across seas.
"Prejudice Abroad: Kids and Cashmere in Paris"
Essay produced by MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO, 2002.
A comment on the mix of ethnocentrism and passion that arises during travel abroad.
A comment on the mix of ethnocentrism and passion that arises during travel abroad.
"Life and Death in Patagonia: Encounters Along the Road"
ASCENT, Vol. 27(2), Winter 2003.
Tales of wild joy and sorrow from a journey through some of the bleakest land on earth.
Tales of wild joy and sorrow from a journey through some of the bleakest land on earth.
"The Letter on the Cattlegate: A Paean to Neediness"
COMMON BOUNDARY MAGAZINE, Nov/Dec 1997, and CATHOLIC DIGEST, Fall 1998.
An essay about human need and how it brings us all together.
An essay about human need and how it brings us all together.