Intersections of ecology, mindful awareness, food, and plant medicine infuse my work as a naturalist, herbalist, educator, writer, and editor. I am especially drawn to relationships between plants and insects, as well as kinship with the earth’s tiny wonders — from lichens and slime molds to gall wasps and slugs.

My books include Wild Drinks and Cocktails, Wild Remedies, Mushroom Hunting, and Tree Hugging, and I have written for Apartment Therapy, Dwell, KCET, The Kitchn, Sunset, and other publications. I co-founded the international Food Swap Network and am a California Naturalist and Master Food Preserver. In my earlier career, I worked as an archivist and librarian in the arts.

As I weave my multiracial and multiethnic background into my work, I offer gratitude to my teachers, including my parents; ancestors from Vietnam, China, Cambodia, England, Ireland, Scotland, and France; ancestors by marriage from Korea; and myriad plants, animals, fungi, waters, and rocks.

Growing up, I participated in tea meditations with Buddhist teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh and marched in the streets with labor leader César Chávez. Both of them have had an enduring influence on my values of compassion, social justice, and environmental justice.

I live in Altadena, California (Tongva and Kizh land) with my partner Gregory Han. Our claim to fame is finding two previously unknown populations of tiny snails in our Los Angeles backyard. 🐌