What inspired you to become a writer?

I always wanted to be a writer, ever since I wrote my first six-page book, The Deer, in third grade—which I illustrated with a ballpoint pen and stapled together. Though I didn’t have the confidence to become a writer until I moved to Thailand in 1989 and, after a series of events, I ended up writing for the English-language newspaper and for several niche magazines.

 

 

Who are a few of your favorite authors/photographers/artists/journalists? 

Authors: Annie LaMott, Barbara Kingsolver, Annie Dillard, Bruce Chatwin. Artists: Cézanne, Bonnard, Dufy.

  

What’s the worst job/assignment you’ve ever had?

An administrative assistant for an insurance company, in which my main job was inputting numbers. Luckily, it was part-time, and the rest of the time I was an intern at a regional magazine.

 

Which is your favorite city in the U.S.?

San Francisco.

 

What’s your all-time favorite film?

It’s a toss-up between A Room with A View and Chariots of Fire.

 

 

Which newspapers/magazines/websites do you read regularly?

Washington Post, National Geographic, NPR, CNN.

                                           

Would you rather become the next editor-in-chief of the New Yorker or replace Trevor Noah as host of the “Daily Show”?

I don’t think my DNA has me heading anything as large as the New Yorker or the Daily Show. I am a worker bee, doing my research, seeking out my story lines, and hoping to make a little bit of difference in the process.

 

 

What are your favorite “highbrow” pastimes?

Running, traveling, Pilates, working on my own personal writing, and heading a foundation committed to the education of Zambian kids to help them achieve their dreams.

 

Read some of Barbara’s articles below:

“The Culinary Effervescence of San Juan’s Calle Loiza”

“Safari Reveries”                                               

“A Bold, No-Holds-Barred Look at Sophia Loren’s Family Entanglements”

 

For Highbrow Magazine

 

Image Sources:

--Barbara Noe Kennedy

--Sailko (Wikimedia, Creative Commons)                               

--Linnaea Mallette (Publicdomainpictures.net, Creative Commons)

--James Cridland (Flickr, Creative Commons)            

--Mohammed Hassan (Pxhere, Creative Commons)

--Min An (Pexels, Creative Commons)