FAQ
Who are you?
I'm Riv and at the end of the day, I'm a storyteller. I write books and stories and everything in between. I occasionally tell stories through the visual arts of film and photography, but words are my true love.
What do you write?
Jewish things and weird things and human things. I'd show you my list of stories but I think I'll keep it private for now.
Who do you like to read?
Anything I can get my hands on. My mom caught me in the closet sneaking away adult books when I was in elementary school. Now, as an adult, I'll spend Monday reading Katherine Arden's middle grade books, Tuesday reading Abraham Verghese's Cutting for Stone, Wednesday on Tracey Deonn's Legendborn, Thursday on whatever book I find in a box on the street in Zurich, and end the week with my comfort food, Jane Austen.
Where can I read some of your work?
Check out my articles on this site.
What do you like to write about?
I like to write about loss and death and love. Family relationships and how different people deal with trauma. All the things I'm scared of or fascinated by.
Or I write about magic kangaroos and literal earworms. Catch me at the right moment and be surprised.
What's your favorite color?
If you can't tell from my photos, it's blue. I grew up in a sea-blue house, sleeping in a tower like the princesses in fairy tales...it was on the fourth floor, but a girl can dream. Storms made the room sway back and forth, which was just great for my motion sickness.
In general, I'm a color person. My house is filled with colors. I like to surround myself with beauty and bright things.
What are other fun facts about you?
I can throw knives. I used to lead three day hikes on the Appalachian trail. I was a ropes course/rock climbing facilitator, even though I'm terrified of heights. I'm a pretty good skier.
I was in the New York Times for my 2020 moment of joy