I love writing magazine articles for kids. It’s like solving a mystery, and mysteries are my favorite. I look for topics that launch me down a rabbit hole of topics that amaze me, confuse me, scare me or shock me! What’s causing the Mali elephants to disappear? Why are the Maldives sinking? How does the Internet zip around the world within a breath?
Attention World: Belize Saves Their Coral Reef, FACES Magazine, Jan. 2021
Belize’s Barrier Reef was in crisis, heading towards destruction. The citizens had enough and took action.
Internet Ocean, ASK magazine
How do web pages from around the world instantly get to your computer? Through skinny cables along the bottom of the ocean. Enjoy Internet Ocean in Deep Dark Ocean, Oct. 2019 issue of Ask Science Magazine This is my first article in Ask magazine and probably one of the hardest articles to write. To me,…
Saving Mali’s Migrating Desert Elephants
Saving Mali’s Migrating Desert Elephants Once there were thousands of migrating Gourma Desert Elephants in Mali. Now there are fewer than 400. Around the world people help to save them. Mali’s Desert Elephants are baraka—a blessing to the people and environment. But drought, militant violence, poachers, expanding herds and farms, and encroaching human settlement threaten…
The Maldives and Their Fight Against Rising Seas, FACES magazine, April 2019
Island nations such as the Maldives live with the stark reality that their countries will be under water from climate change. This is not fifty years out. It's now. These island nations have limited choices—relocate or elevate. The Maldives are taking immediate action, and calling on other nations to help. Read more in my FACES…
The Huli People of Papua New Guinea: From Isolation to Theft of Their Natural Resources
The Huli people have tribal customs from thousands of years. When the Europeans “discovered” them in the 1940’s, life changed. And not all for the good, nor that benefited the Huli. “Modernization” has brought broken contracts, theft of land and resources, guns, and violence to protect what is theirs. FACES Magazine, March 2019 issue, INDIGENOUS…
FACES Magazine, Great Cities of the World: Tokyo, 1/18 — Two articles: Bento Boxes and Japanese Lacquerware, and Manga and Anime Mania
I've worked and traveled to Japan for the video game industry. I probably was the first woman to do that!!! So exciting and fun! My Japanese colleague sent me lots of stunning lacquerware, and I got a little hooked on manga. So getting the assignment for these two articles was a great joy to relive…
“People of Peace” Faces Magazine, April 2018 — Malala Yousafzai and Tegla Loroupe
For this issue on People of Peace, I focused on two of the areas I love – running and education and submitted queries on two extraordinary people who have changed the world with their efforts towards peace and human dignity. Malala Yousafzai: Youngest Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Malala Yousafzai has been a forthright…
Tartan, Not Just Plaid – The Scottish Heritage of the World Famous Weave
All around the world, people wear plaid. It might be one of the most best-known, well-recognized patterns in the world. The real honor for the pattern goes to Scotland, and the accurate Scottish name is “tartan.” The saying goes, ” All tartans are plaid, but not all plaids are tartans.” Tartan describes the Scottish woven…
Sydney, Australia Issue, FACES Magazine, Cobblestone Publishing
My mum and sisters migrated to Australia over 35 years ago, so I’ve been to Australia several times to visit and tour. When it came time to query FACES magazine for the Sydney issue, I asked my neighbor from Melbourne, Australia with two children what she thought would be a good topic — and she…
February, 2017, The Greatest Rivers of the World, FACES magazine
After writing earlier articles on Cambodia, I learned how the Mekong River is the life and livelihood of millions of Southeast Asians. I received the assignment to write “The Mekong River: Who Owns the Water?” as one of the greatest rivers in the world and examine how the countries along the Mekong all seek to…
Morocco: Land of Extremes, January 2017, FACES Magazine
Morocco is a beautiful, bustling, mystical country. One of the lovely traditions is the making and sharing of sweet Moroccan mint tea. It is a sign of welcome, respect and calm. Read “The Power and Beauty of Moroccan Mint Tea.” Moroccan life revolves around their Muslim faith and family. The family includes the extended family…
Cambodia, FACES Magazine, September 2016
Cambodia is a new democracy struggling to make its way in the modern world. After years of brutal wars, its resilient people fight to lift themselves to compete and improve the daily lives of their people. In “Recovering From Wars” I take a close look at how the country is making strides in it efforts…
The World of Dogs, October 2016, FACES Magazine
My three articles in The World of Dogs were so much fun! I loved writing about honoring dogs and showing what heroes they are in all they do. In Crime Fighting Dogs, we learn how the dogs train to help and protect. The dog and their handler are an inseparable team to fight crime. What…
FACES Magazine Issue: The Dominican Republic – 3 articles: Baseball is a Way of Life, Dominican Republic’s Top Baseball Stars, Baseball Next Stars: Dominican Youth Academies
Baseball is the heart and passion of the Dominican Republic. It is the number one sport and if a kid can hold a bat, he or she is playing baseball. This tiny country spawns more MLB (Major League Baseball) players than any other country in the world, except for the U.S. How do they do…
Faces Magazine Articles: The Changing Role of Women in Kenya, A Kaleidoscope of Food
I have been an avid runner for years and am mesmerized by the runners of Kenya. I asked the same questions as many people around the world. Why has this impoverished country had more outstanding runners than any other country in the world? That took me on my research quest to learn about Kenya, the…
FACES 2014 Magazine “ALL EYES ON BRAZIL 2014: Soccer in the Spotlight” – Four new articles
This incredible issue focuses on the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup. I have four articles in this issue. I am part of an avid soccer family. They gave me ideas for queries to submit to FACES magazine. FACES accepted all three, and asked that I do one more – Could I find academy players to…
AppleSeeds Magazine Issue: Snakes – Twinkie Tells All
Twinkie has a lot to say! She’s the most popular snake at the Reptile Zoo in the Prehistoric Pets Store in Fountain Valley, CA. That’s not the only reason she was named the largest albino python by the Guinness World Records 2014. She’s got some real personality and everyone loves her. Sometimes all that love…
Faces Magazine Issue: 2014 Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has a history of freedom. But when the Nazi’s marched in, everything changed. Then WWII ended and the Communists took over. But the Czech’s never gave up. In The Change to Freedom, their fight for democracy and freedom will open your eyes to this small country’s fortitude. Small countries as the Czech…
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in AppleSeeds Magazine
AppleSeeds Magazine’s current issue, It’s the Greatest, peeks at the greatest things in the world. I pitched a few queries – the sewing machine, The Great Pyramid, and Our National Park System. I was assigned the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was a wonder to whittle down to 2- 3 sentences on each Ancient…
Faces Magazine Article, The Dreamtime of Australia’s Aboriginal People – Songlines are the Footprints to Sacred Ancestor Spirits
This article is close to my heart. While I have visited my family over the many, many years they have lived in Australia, it was this article that immersed me into the true depth of the Aboriginal belief system. My family has toured me along many of the wonderful sites in Melbourne, along with the…
AppleSeeds Magazine
My first magazine article appeared in APPLESEEDS May/June 2012 edition. “One Piece at a Time”, an interview with Gary McIntire, Master Model Designer for LEGOLAND, California. Gary won a LEGO contest – and then was offered a job at LEGOLAND! Now that’s the way to build a career.