I was born in this beautiful city and raised in a historic bungalow on the Northwest Side. Chicago made me, and I'm proud of my roots to a truly unreasonable degree. If you're ever looking for a long-winded diatribe about the preeminence of Chicago public schooling or the brilliance of the grid system, I require very little prompting.
That picture of me grinning like an absolute goon? Probably the happiest I've ever been. I am a third-generation, heretofore "long-suffering" Cub fan. That's a World Championship ring on my finger. And I'm standing along the third-base line at Wrigley. I got to watch the Cubs take home the pennant and begin their fabled World Series comeback. A person's wedding day is swell and all, but I'd have a hard time ranking anything above this moment.
I'm a person who sticks—who finds what makes her happy and commits. Like so many of the passions that are still present in my life, writing was one of my original loves. And though my path to this career wasn't direct, I think I always knew it was headed here. It's something that lasts. And I love being a part of it.