Profiles

Since 2002, I've profiled people with fascinating passions. Some of these people view their particular pursuits as means of changing the world.

That's particularly true of the visionary architects I started profiling in 2003. On building contains full-length profiles of architects Dan Liebermann, Eugene Tsui, Craig Henritzy, Hiro Morimoto, Kirk Peterson, David Trachtenberg, and David Wilson, as well as magazine columns about architects David Trachtenberg, Kava Massih, Bart Jones, Malcolm Wells, Donald MacDonald, Kirk Peterson, Kathryn McCamant, Charles Durrett, Kelly Lerner, and Nader Khalili.

The following profiles appeared in various sections of the San Francisco Chronicle, and the links will take you to the Chronicle website:

• Children's Art and Literacy Festival
  Within an announcement of an upcoming event, I profiled Jacqueline Lynaugh, who performs as the Blue Fairy Storyteller. This ran in the "Family" column of the section called 96 Hours.
• Art & Soul Festival: Paint Traveling Mural
  Within an announcement of an upcoming event, I profiled muralist Fred Alvarado. This ran in the "Family" column of the section called 96 Hours.
• Artist Loves Chanciness: She Creates Paper, Adding Found Objects
  A profile of papermaker Linda Lemon, who lets randomness control her artistic process. This ran inside the regional section.
• High Contrast: Oakland Muralist Lives with the Things That Delight
  Muralist Dan Fontes transformed his Oakland home into a playground. This ran on the cover of "Home & Garden."
• Puzzle Pooh-bah: Chris Berg, a Master of Arcane Facts, Draws Mind-Boggling Mazes
  Trivia whiz Chris Berg creates tricky mazes that double as art. (He also designed this website!) This piece ran on the cover of the regional section.
• A Sheltered Life: Lynne Tingle Offers Abandoned Animals a Second Chance
  Lynne Tingle created the Milo Foundation, a sanctuary for animals who might otherwise be euthanized. This ran on the cover of the regional section.
• Flights of Fancy: Richmond Man Finds Happiness Selling Kites out of an RV at Berkeley Marina
  Tom McAlister, a former broker, now sells kites at the Berkeley Marina (which is pretty close to selling seashells by the seashore, but not quite). This ran on the cover of the regional section.
• A Dash of Independence Spices up Food Zine: Berkeley Publisher Aims PekoPeko at Consuming Passions
  Karen Eng publishes PekoPeko, a delectable zine about food.
• Renaissance History? They'll Hum a Few Bars: Troupe Uses Early Music as Learning Tool
  Lee McRae's troupe dresses in Renaissance attire and visits schools, playing instruments unknown to most of us.
• The Little East Bay Symphony That Could: Innovative Orchestra Uses Emerging Talent to Grow Its Reputation
  Conductor Jim Gardner keeps his symphony afloat in innovative ways.
• Therapist Helps Colleagues Bone up on Anatomy: Knowledge Helps Dialogue with Doctors
  Massage therapist Joan Marie Passalacqua created a school to teach bodyworkers about anatomy.
• Martinez's Darkroom Develops a Following: Business Focuses on Black-and-White Photography
  Jerry Ott adores darkness, but he's not a vampire. Instead, he created a public rental darkroom.

• A Cockeyed Valentine to Japan
  This Q&A with novelist Wendy Tokunaga appeared on the Chin Music Press blog on June 10, 2010. Among other things, Tokunaga and I discussed her Japan niche.
• Novel Writing as a Balancing Act
  This Q&A with novelist Todd Shimoda appeared on the Chin Music Press blog on May 6, 2010. Shimoda and I discussed the creative process behind his novel Oh! A Mystery of Mono No Aware.
• Novelist Todd Shimoda Discusses New Book and Japan
  This piece appeared in AsianWeek in October 2009. It's a different Q&A with Shimoda about Japanese culture and about his latest work, Oh! A Mystery of Mono No Aware.
• Lawfully Wedded Limbo
  My feature story on marriage equality appeared in the October 2008 issue of the East Bay Monthly. I profiled three same-sex couples who had recently married, sometimes for the second or third time. The Monthly's website now has a digital edition that allows you to read the magazine online, turning pages as if you were reading the print edition. To access the digital edition, you might need to maneuver around your browser's preferences; mine blocks pop-up windows, so it initially blocked me from seeing the digital edition. Takes some getting used to, but working with the digital edition is also kind of fun. My article starts on page 15.
• Healing the Wounds of War
  My profile of Women for Women International founder Zainab Salbi appeared in the debut issue of Organic Style. I can't seem to link to the actual page, but it's in the "Giving Back" section, and it's on p. 50. Go to "Contents" in the menu bar, and you'll get there quickly.
• A Developer? In Berkeley?
  The East Bay Monthly ran this profile of controversial developer Patrick Kennedy and his controversial vision for downtown Berkeley.
• The Eco-Mansion—Seeing the Green Light
  DesignBuild-Network published this profile of maverick Florida developer Frank McKinney and his construction of an environmentally friendly 14,000-square-foot mansion in Manalapan, Florida.
• The Greater Goods: East Bay Companies Live by the Triple Bottom Line: Profits, the Planet and People
  This feature story about an inspiring new sector of the economy ran in the December 2006 edition of the East Bay Monthly. It includes profiles of the following: Rajen Thapa of Taste of the Himalayas, Betsy Thagard of Green Planet Properties, Clif Bar, Mike Hannigan of Give Something Back, and Priya Haji of World of Good.

• Harvard Professor Jacob Kehinde Olupona:
  A Towering Figure in His Field
  

  This cover story ran in the Fall 2008 issue of Ameridreams.

• Television Reporter Robert Handa:
  Coming in Through the Back Door
  

  This cover story ran in the Spring 2008 issue of Ameridreams.

• Barack Obama: An Outsider Sets His Sights on the Innermost Circle
  

  This cover story ran in the premier issue (Summer 2007) of Ameridreams.

• Take This Job & Love It
  

  Six people who adore their unconventional jobs. This article appeared in the East Bay Monthly.

• The Fest of All Possible Worlds
  

  These festival founders regularly work 18-hour days so we can have fun for one weekend. This article ran in the East Bay Monthly.

• Japan Plus Something: Albany’s Stone Bridge Press Takes Cross-Culturalism One Book at a Time
  

  Peter Goodman’s Stone Bridge Press publishes beautiful books about Japan. This profile ran in the East Bay Express.