Where are you from?
Boston, Massachusetts, but live in San Francisco.
Who are your favorite writers?
Ian McEwen, Nadine Gordimer, Pat Barker, Ed Doctorow, Anton Checkov, Tracey Kidder,
Which book/books have had the biggest influence on your writing?
William Greider, Robert Kuttner, C. Wright Mills, Erving Goffman, Maria Mies, (The Lacemakers of Narsapur)
What is the single best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?
"Don't be afraid to reach out."
What is your favorite quote?
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."—Margaret Mead
What inspired you to write your first book?
My first book was about aging, The Unexpected Community – and at first I thought to critique age segregation in America, but when I hired on as a recreation directors assistant in a San Pablo California public housing project for low-income elders, I discovered a lively community of women who got up a 5 piece band to play for the "old folks" in nursing homes, and realized I had a lot to learn.
Where do you write?
At a desk in a small study in our house, feet on desk, keyboard in lap, staring, when I'm stuck, out the window at humming birds, busy flitting about in a tangle of tree branches.
