Hi, I'm Jess.
I’m an independent writer and researcher.
My work has introduced me to an incredible variety of people, places, and experiences. From an artist who lived through the Cultural Revolution to the last Irish publican still moonlighting as a mortician, I’ve followed my curiosity down endless rabbit holes, gaining a wealth of knowledge and connections all over the world.
My narrative writing appears in Gastro Obscura, Narratively, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other publications. I also write, report, and edit stories for Meat and Three, Heritage Radio Network’s flagship podcast.
A piece I wrote about the largest spiritual gathering of women in the world was featured in Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide. My feature for Lady Science, titled “Maria Ylagan Orosa and the Chemistry of Resistance,” was cited by the New York Times and is anthologized in several books, including including the 50th-anniversary edition of Appetite for Freedom: The Recipes of Maria Y. Orosa with Essays on Her Life and Work.
In addition to my writing, I provide research and fact-checking services for podcasts, documentaries, and television shows such as The History Channel series The Food that Built America. I also conduct and transcribe oral history interviews for the Queens Memory Project .
I live in New York and explore its hidden history on Instagram. I collect vintage cocktail books, feminist ephemera, and fun facts.
I'd love to hear from you! Please use the form below to say hello or commission me for freelance work.