I write books, booklets, blog posts, essays and articles in local, state and national newspapers and magazines on a variety of topics including:
∞social innovation & change, ∞health, mental health, end of life, consciousness, mind ∞environment & the human-natural world connection, ∞profiles of people.
For example, I’ve investigated agencies’ responses to environmental damage from oil spills, advances in neonatal technology, humans’ sense of smell, historic cemeteries, how urban parks affect cities, the role of listening in communication and profiles of artists, environmentalists and intriguing characters.
I’m a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
What They Say About My Writing
∞ Excellent work on this essay. It’s so informative and sensitive, and nice clean, clear prose. I’m excited to be able to publish this important piece. — Mark Mann, Associate Editor-in-Chief, BESIDE Media
∞ I just read your article on my sister Diana Coopersmith, and it was absolutely inspiring — you really captured her spirit, her joie de vivre, her vision, and deep sense of adventure and purpose! — Rachael Adler
∞ Story looks great! So interesting. The written visuals are so strong. — Tessa McLean, Digital Editor, San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate
∞ I sent the article to my daughter who is 48…She said, “she nailed you.” So kudos to you! — Donna Lunsford, retired nurse & profile subject
∞ Thanks for being able to interpret a meandering phone call into a coherent, thoughtful article. I feel fortunate that you were the one who was assigned to me. — Mia DeLode, artist & profile subject
∞ You really captured the true John Paul Strain in print. You managed to take our rambling discussion and condense it into an article that was both accurate and entertaining. — Jack & Nancy Strain, artist & his wife, profile subjects
Selected Published Writing
Human-Natural World Connection & Environment
Selected Articles
The Untapped Potential of Family Forests, BESIDE A vast amount of North America’s forest cover is owned by individuals. Many don’t realize how much they could be doing to improve biodiversity and ecosystem health.
How to Hold a Funeral at Home, BESIDE Home funeral advocates want to reclaim natural after-death care from the modern funeral industry, and more and more people are following their lead.
From Yoga Studios to Paddleboards in the Pandemic, SF Chronicle/SFGate The San Francisco Bay Area fitness community moves outdoors.
Giving the Gift of Land Next Avenue Conservation-based estate planning keeps land natural and intact for future generations
Oil Spills: What’s the Plan?, Texas Parks & Wildlife Who’s in charge? That was the question as oil spread across Galveston Bay.
Social Innovation & Change
San Francisco Supervisors Put Corporate Responsibility to the Test, Economic Hardship Reporting Project Imagine you’re responsible for a city on the verge of a pandemic-fueled homelessness explosion. What would you do?
Daydreams as a Tool for Problem-Solving, Spirituality & Health What if, instead of being a waste of time daydreams could help us solve problems, achieve goals and prompt creative breakthroughs?
Forever Hollywood, American Heritage This burial ground of the stars was sinking into oblivion until an enterprising funeral director turned up the spotlight. Here’s what he did.
Spontaneous Memorialization: Violent Death and Emerging Mourning Ritual, Omega: The Journal of Death & Dying The impromptu shrines at sites of violent deaths stand out in stark relief in a culture where controlled death and grieving are expected. (peer-reviewed journal) Abstract
Health/Mental Health/Consciousness
Selected Articles
Hear Better, Think Better Next Avenue New research from the ACHIEVE study suggests why untreated hearing loss can lead to cognitive decline and dementia. The aging brain appears capable of changing itself and a new “hearing number” built into electronic devices allows self-testing at any age.
How to Tell Fact From Fiction with Health Information on Social Media, Spirituality & Health Is that post your family member or friend just made on Facebook legit? Follow a few best practices to start deciphering fact from fiction like a pro. [This article is one way Christina’s quantitative research expertise can help general audiences.]
What’s It Like to Have a Funeral at Home? Next Avenue Why COVID-19 has led to a rise in home funerals, plus how to prepare for one.
Daydreams as a Tool for Problem-Solving, Spirituality & Health What if, instead of being a waste of time daydreams could help us solve problems, achieve goals and prompt creative breakthroughs?
Drunkenness, Drug Overdose or Insulin Shock? Your Health In an emergency, would you know the difference?
Profiles
Selected Articles
Quitting the City to Restore a Forest, Next Avenue (Maxine Cass & Fred Gebhart, photographer, writer, nature preservationists)
The Times are Finally Catching Up with Elsa Gidlow, San Francisco Examiner (out lesbian in the 1920s, poet, nature lover who started a bohemian artists community in the 1950s)
Sky Walking on the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Chronicle SFGate (Diana Coopersmith, ironworker & metal artist)
Capturing Nature’s Stories, Art of the West (Mia DeLode, artist and shepherdess)
Forest Creatures, Texas Parks & Wildlife (Carmine Stahl, naturalist educator)
Narrative & Personal Essays
Reviving My Dreaming, Next Avenue Dreaming used to be fun. I’d snuggle into my pillow, fall asleep easily and await the night’s surprises — until recently.
Buying My First House at 63, Next Avenue Crazy rent increases across the country finally persuaded me to do something I had never before considered: own a home.
When a Parent Apologizes to Their Estranged Adult Child, Next Avenue For my father and me, forgiveness was a process that came in fits and starts. Apologies aren’t miracles but they can open a door.
A Democrat and Trump Republicans Meet in a Bar, L.A. Progressive How do you think that worked out?
The Power of Storytelling
A unique project for students that inspired connection, inclusion and institutional identity
This 22-page booklet was the product of a project that began when I started work at California State University-Fresno. In the university’s data, I noticed a high percentage of its students were the first in their family to go to college. As I talked with faculty, staff and administrators, I sensed that some of them might have been the first in their family to go to college too. If so, telling their stories could help students.
Being the first in your family means no one at home can guide you through this foreign land called university. Also, unlike gender or race, first generation status isn’t easy to see. So, first generation students can feel like they’re the only one. It’s isolating. Often, they drop out of college because of it.
As it turned out, many university employees were the first in their family to go to college. Some had worked together for decades, but never knew this about each other. Many were elated to find out and excited about telling their story. So, I initiated a cross-university implementation team and created this booklet. Students would know they weren’t alone. They could see role models and mentors.
Unintended benefits of this writing project were:
- Enhanced employee belonging and camaraderie that lasted long-term, making it smoother to work through problems and get tasks done.
- Cemented diversity and social mobility as part of Fresno State’s identity and mission.
- A valuable tool for recruiting students and fundraising.
- The project garnered national trade press attention and won multiple media awards.
My book, Natural Urges, features first-person stories and essays about following intuition in an analytical, science-based world.
The stories I tell about the quandaries this mismatch creates and the social, cultural and personal insights intuition reveals are sprinkled with humor and, some say, wisdom. See Reviews.
Imagining the Future of Institutional Research
In the context of policymakers and the public demanding accountability and change from higher education, my Institutional Research colleagues and I re-imagine how the field of IR should be transformed in order to help colleges and universities become more effective and responsive to external constituents’ needs. I originated and edited this book.
See More of my thought leadership in the Institutional Research/Institutional Effectiveness field on my Research page.