I am emerita faculty in journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University where I taught for 18 years. I am a senior leader with The OpEd Project since 2011, editorial director at Take The Lead since 2016 and author of six nonfiction books: I Closed My Eyes (Hazelden, 1999), Writing to Save Your Life (Hazelden, 2001); Everyman News: The Changing American Front Page (University of Missouri, 2008); Just Me And My Three Sons (SheBooks, 2011); Escape Points: A Memoir (Chicago Review Press, 2015); Act Like You're Having A Good Time (Northwestern University Press, 2020). I live in the Chicago area, have three grown sons and have recently started to paint again. Writing is my first love.