I spent thirty years as a staff writer at various metro newspapers around the country. For many of those years I was a general assignment and sometimes investigative reporter. During my last five years in newspapers, at the San Jose Mercury News, I was the the art critic. I now work in the communications department at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, where I handle many of the foundation's writing and editing chores, advise grantees on issues related to communications, and help manage some journalism related grants.