I'm an editor and writer in Chicago (though I will be moving to Montreal in the fall). And a leftist. And a firm believer in good old-fashioned Midwestern hospitality.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've couchsurfed various times throughout the U.S. and Mexico, and have hosted people from all over the country and all over the world. It's no exaggeration to say that Couchsurfing has allowed me to travel in ways I never would have been able to without it.

My favorite hosting experience has to be when I gave eight Frenchmen a place to stay for a few nights at the co-op I used to live at. All of my straight female housemates were obsessing over these boys, plotting how they were going to lure the couchsurfers back to their bedrooms–-except my friend Ashley, who was convinced that she wanted nothing to do with any of them.

Fast-forward to today: Ashley and one of the boys, Olivier, are married and madly in love with each other and living in Paris.

Interests

The labor movement, frisbee, Latin America, Marxism, books, good drinks, nice folks.

• writing
• books

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite books:

George Orwell - Homage to Catalonia, Ann Patchett - Bel Canto, Toni Morrison - Beloved, Paul Tillich - The Courage to Be, Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward - Poor People's Movements, Marshall Berman - All That Is Solid Melts Into Air

Music:
Girl Talk, Refused, Belle & Sebastian, A Tribe Called Quest, Sufjan Stevens, Aesop Rock, The Clash, Elvis Costello

Movies
Newsies, Harlan County, USA

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Became a viral sensation around the world after burning myself with boiling water on video.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, El Salvador, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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