There are few sights more menacing than an empty page. That cursor, with its incessant blinking, glares with condescension. Eventually, the words come. Mostly, they're all wrong, and you delete and start over. Sometimes, though, they work. You manage to write something authentic and evocative, and you feel invincible, if only for a moment. 

I spend many hours staring down that blank page, seeing which one of us blinks first. It's usually me. (One of these days, blank page, you'll get yours.) I pride myself on writing that's focused, resonant, and thoughtful, but never overwrought. I've written for publications like The New York Times, TeenVogue.com, and Jewcy.com about the immigrant experience, using my own story as a prism—my family and I left the U.S.S.R. when I was a child. 

My writing has also appeared in Richmond magazine, InStyle.com, Laughspin.com, The Jewish Daily Forward, and other publications. 

I'm also an accuracy-obsessed research director. I've worked at over a dozen publications and am currently the research director of Glamour, Allure, and Self magazines. 

Sometimes, I write poetry. And, I’ve written, directed, and co-starred in a short film.

On my blog, Notes from The Wonder City, I cover all sorts of topics, from New York City best-ofs and travel tips to urban planning and the power of nostalgia. I'd list my interests here, but nearly everything interests me, except for cars and the fantasy genre. Oh, and season-long TV home repair projects. You're doing great work "This Old House," but I, personally, just want to see the end result. 

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I think the best way to acclimate a time traveler from the Middle Ages to our modern world is to take him or her to a baseball game. Beer, meat, men hitting balls with sticks, yelling—it would all very quickly make sense. 

Image courtesy of Andrea Hubbell Photography