Pop culture is history.

Pop culture can be empty, vapid, junk food for the mind and soul, but it can also raise awareness of important social issues, start crucial conversations, provoke real change, teach us about the past, and imagine a better future. As a pop culture historian, I highlight the ways that pop culture and history interact.

You’ll also get occasional news about my books and other writing and media appearances.

Who am I?

My writing takes readers behind the scenes of major moments in pop culture history and examines the lasting impact that our favorite TV shows, music, and movies have on our society and psyches. I investigate why pop culture matters deeply, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Seinfeld, to Sex and the City and Mean Girls, to Beyoncé, Taylor, Chappell, and Sabrina. I have written nine books, including the New York Times bestseller Seinfeldia, When Women Invented Television, Sex and the City and Us, and Parks and Rec.

I began my career in newspapers and spent ten years on staff at Entertainment Weekly, where I reported from the front lines of Grey’s Anatomy, 30 Rock, Lost, and a variety of teen dramas. My writing has since appeared in BBC Culture, New York magazine, Billboard, and many other places. I currently curate and writes the Peabody Finds newsletter, featuring recommendations and media history, from the prestigious Peabody Awards in broadcasting. I also speak and frequently serve as a media expert on pop culture history. I am the co-founder of the Ministry of Pop Culture Substack.

I live with my partner in New York’s Hudson Valley, where I like to offset her TV time by climbing, running, doing yoga, playing amateur acoustic guitar covers, and practicing Zen Buddhism.