CONTRIBUTORS
PREMIUM PUBLICATION EDITORIAL
DIRECTOR Jeanette Barrett-Stokes jbstokes@usatoday.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jerald Council jcouncil@usatoday.com MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Washington mjwashington@usatoday.com
NANCY MILLS In this issue, Nancy Mills, who lives in Los Angeles, interviews Frozen star Idina Menzel (page 24). Internationally famous and a role model for girls of all ages, Menzel tells readers how she puts family first but still has time to do what she loves. Watch for her films Frozen II and Uncut Gems, opening soon. Mills, who also writes the food blog Mom’s Cooking Help, is co-author of HELP! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook.
MARY HELEN BERG Freelance journalist Mary Helen Berg writes from the West Coast, where meditation classes are popular, but while exploring a variety of retreats that last several days or more for this issue (page 54), she’s inspired to try one. “I’m really intrigued by the positive effects meditation can have on our physical health, from easing anxiety and depression to improving blood pressure,” she says.
ISSUE EDITOR Debbie Williams ISSUE DESIGNER Hayleigh Corkey EDITORS Amy Sinatra Ayres Tracy Scott Forson Harry Lister Sara Schwartz DESIGNERS Debra Moore Gina Toole Saunders Lisa M. Zilka INTERN Amber Tucker CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Matt Alderton, Rasha Ali, Mary Helen Berg, Dalvin Brown, Marissa Cass, Ana Pelayo Connery, Lisa Davis, Pam George, Mira Judd, Jacqueline Klecak, Cindy Kuzma, Jennifer Mabry, Nancy Mills, Rina Rapuano, Robin Roenker, Kristen Seymour, Jessica Teich
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FINANCE
ROBIN ROENKER Robin Roenker is a Kentuckybased freelance writer who covers travel, sustainability, and business and lifestyle trends. She writes about Christmas trees in this issue (page 17), having enjoyed both real and artificial ones in holidays past. Growing up, her family had an artificial tree — the more tinsel, the better — but now she cherishes annual holiday trips to the tree farm with her husband and three sons.
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KRISTEN SEYMOUR Florida-based freelance writer Kristen Seymour hasn’t eaten turkey in 15 years, but she happily hosts Thanksgiving for family and friends who enjoy her veg-friendly sides so much that they often ask for the recipes. “Plant-based dishes can be as delicious as those with meat,” she says. “They may just need a substitution or two (page 46) to make sure meat eaters and vegetarians alike can enjoy them.”
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