I'm a writer, currently working on a long book project that has already included a lot of travel -- to Alabama, to Virginia, to Paris, and to Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Uganda. The book is about an infamous nineteenth century surgeon, and my cover piece for the November 2017 issue of Harper's Magazine about this guy's statue in Central Park played a role in New York's groundbreaking decision to remove the monument. There are additional statues to this guy in South Carolina and Montgomery, Alabama.

I'm the author of six previous books, and the recipient of fellowships from the McKnight and Guggenheim foundations. I've published essays in GQ, Harper's, and a variety of other publications.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

A couple years ago, I left an academic position to pursue my book full time. I've been taking disbursements from my retirement account to fund the travel and research, and I'm couchsurfing to try to keep expenses down.

Music, Movies, and Books

Jazz, Birdman, Kafka

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I went through the three week joining process at Twin Oaks Intentional Community in Virginia. I loved it.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Details of my current project! It's kind of an amazing story. Plus lots of stories of adventures all around the world...

Countries I’ve Visited

Armenia, England, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Italy, Mozambique, Nigeria, Portugal, Scotland, South Korea, Swaziland, Uganda, Ukraine

Countries I’ve Lived In

Armenia, Portugal