WRITING & EDITORIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
In the images above, I’ve selected some of my favorite pieces from my portfolio. To read, click on an image.
You can use the arrows above the images to keep scrolling through other highlights.
The rest of this page is a comprehensive look at all of my publications to-date. Thank you for your interest in my writing!
If you’re interested in following my writing, please consider exploring/following my Substack blog:
2025 + 2026
I’ve written a lot of things since Summer 2024 but I’ve moved twice since then and have been slow to update my portfolio. It’s on my list to update!
2024
“Like Gold” - Fiction - Litro Magazine, Issue #186: Olympics, Summer 2024
Bending - Managing Editor - Aster(ix), April 2024, ISBN-13: 978-1942547228
“Our Most Anticipated Video Games of Fall 2024 (and Beyond)” - Editor and Writer - The Punished Backlog, July 2024
The Punished Podcast - Host & Editor for the following episodes: “DLC” (Ep 9), “Baldur’s Gate 3” (Ep 7), "Pokemon” (Ep 6), “The Backlog” (Ep 3)
“Big Game, Little Game, Repeat” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, June 2024
“Duck Detective: The Secret Salami Review” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, May 2024
“The 10 Best Female Video Game Characters, as Picked by Female Gamers” - Editor and Writer - The Punished Backlog, March 2024
“20 Awesome Games Made by Women” - Editor and Writer - The Punished Backlog, March 2024
“Death Trick: Double Blind Review – Teetering on the Tightrope” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, March 2024
“11 Video Game Remakes We Want To See” - Entries in Sitewide List - The Punished Backlog, February 2024
“Dynamite in the Script: An Interview With Jon Ingold, Narrative Director at inkle Studios” - Video Game Interview - The Punished Backlog, January 2024
“13 Indie Games We’re Excited for in 2024” - Editor and Writer - The Punished Backlog, January 2024
“Why I Played a 20-Year Old Nancy Drew Game Over the Holidays" - Essay/Creative Nonfiction - Unwinnable Monthly, January 2024
2023
The 10th Anniversary Issue Part II: Fiction & Interviews - Managing Editor - Aster(ix), December 2023, ISBN-13: 978-1942547211
“Amanda’s 10 Best Games of 2023 for Every Mood” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2023
“Amanda’s 9 Best Video Game Cries of 2023” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2023
“A Highland Song Review: Dancing in the Rain” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, December 2023
“My Least Favorite Part of Alan Wake 2 Is Alan Wake” - Video Game Feature Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2023
“The 18 Best Cozy Video Games (and Why the Genre Works)” - Editor and Writer - The Punished Backlog, November 2023
“There’s (Still) a Save-Breaking Bug in The Case of Golden Idol for Nintendo Switch” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, November 2023
“Mail Time Review: Sent With Love” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, October 2023
“The 7 Scariest Moments in Non-Horror Games” - Entries in Sitewide List - The Punished Backlog, October 2023
“The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood Review: A Beautiful, Cozy Future” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, October 2023
“Detective Pikachu Returns Review: Missed Opportunities” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, October 2023
“The 8 Best Video Game Start Screens” - Entry in Sitewide List - The Punished Backlog, August 2023
“Short & Sweet: Venba Is Delightful” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, August 2023
“Dreaming With Signalis: Signalis Ending, Explained” - Video Game Feature - The Punished Backlog, July 2023
“The 5 Best Barbie Video Games of All Time” - Video Game List - The Punished Backlog, July 2023
The 10th Anniversary Issue Part I: Poetry & Nonfiction - Managing Editor - Aster(ix), June 2023, ISBN-13: 978-1942547204
“OXENFREE II Is a Beautiful, Worthy Sequel, Though Only if You Liked the First” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, July 2023
“I Cried Over a Virtual Parrot, and I’m Grateful” - Video Game Feature - The Punished Backlog, June 2023
“7 More Great Games for Moms” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, May 2023
“Coffee Talk Episode 2 Review: Good Times With Old Friends” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, May 2023
“Dishonored Remains a Fantastic Game (and Excellent Franchise)” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, April 2023
“Apex Legends Could Reward Support Players With One Change” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, February 2023
The Tarot Issue - Editor & Managing Editor - Aster(ix), January 2023, ISBN-13: 978-1942547198
“Step 9: Memorize this Little Chinese American Cheatsheet" - Poem - Salt Hill Journal, Winter 22-23
“9 Beautiful Indie Games Releasing in 2023” - Video Game List - The Punished Backlog, January 2023
2022
Mothers Unearthed: The Climate Issue - Managing Editor - Aster(ix), December 2022, ISBN-13: 978-1942547181
“Amanda’s 10 Best Games of 2022” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2022
“Questions for the Ending of God of War Ragnarök, Explained” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2022
“Pentiment Is Broken on Xbox One, Which Is a Big Bummer” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2022
“Top 5 Video Games for Dungeons & Dragons Fans (That Aren’t Baldur’s Gate)” - Video Game List - The Punished Backlog, November 2022
“Skeleton Dogs” - Nonfiction Short Story for Pittsburgh Stories Reading Event - October 2022
“Disney Dreamlight Valley Is Absurdly Good” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, October 2022
“Stray Is a Great Cat Simulator but a Frustrating Video Game” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, July 2022
“Ranking Every Character in Hollow Knight From Worst to Best” - Video Game List - The Punished Backlog, July 2022
“Horizon Forbidden West’s Biggest, Laziest Mistake” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, June 2022
“Stay Wild: A Conversation with Poet and Artist Jane Wong” - Co-Writer, Interview - Aster(ix), May 2022
“9 AAPI Writers to Read in May 2022” - List Op-ed - Aster(ix), May 2022
“Friday Fortissimo – “Samurai on a Mission” (The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles)” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, April 2022
“The Planet Communicates: A Conversation with Jhani Randhawa” - Poetry Review & Interview - Aster(ix), April 2022
“Glitchhikers Review: An Imperfect, Vibey Road Trip” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, March 2022
“Please Give Pokémon Legends: Arceus’s “Galaxy Member” His Own Name” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, February 2022
“How To Get Your Girlfriend Into Video Games This Valentine’s Day” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, February 2022
“Welcome to Elk Review: A Successful Experiment in Storytelling” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, February 2022
“Why Apex Legends Is the Feminist Future of Online First Person Shooter Games” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, February 2022
2021
The Fiction Issue - Managing Editor - Aster(ix), December 2021, ISBN-13: 978-1942547174
“A Light in the Dark: Why Disco Elysium is My 2021 GOTY” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2021
“The Astronaut” - Fiction - Call Me [Brackets], Fall 2021
“Step 1: Order Soup Dumplings” - Poem - Call Me [Brackets], Fall 2021
“Step 5: Try to Take Chinese” - Poem - Call Me [Brackets], Fall 2021
“Step 7: Be Unlucky” - Poem - Call Me [Brackets], Fall 2021
“The Best Detective Games of All Time (and Why the Genre’s a Hall of Famer)” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, November 2021
“How to Apply to an MFA in Creative Writing (Or Not)” - Blog - Medium, November 2021
“The Big Con Review: Sweet Nostalgia” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, September 2021
“In Defense of Boyfriend Dungeon and Its Troubling Content” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, August 2021
“Review: Sharp and Shiny: Boyfriend Dungeon Is a Fun New Indie About Love” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, August 2021
“The Best Indie Games You Haven’t Played” - Editor & Writer, 3-Part Series - The Punished Backlog, Summer 2021
“Review: Where the Heart Leads” - Video Game Review - The Punished Backlog, July 2021
“Legally Blind” - Award-Winning Essay - Columbia College Today, June 2021
“90740” - Award-Winning Poem - Poets.org, Summer 2021
Best of Hot Metal Bridge - Contributing Editor - Aster(ix), Summer 2021, ISBN-13: 978-1942547143
“Why Spiritfarer Is the Ultimate Avatar: the Last Airbender Video Game” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, May 2021
“Takeout and Uptake: An Analysis of Food as a Narrative and Cultural Device in Chinese American Novels” - Literary Analysis - Presentation at University of Pittsburgh Grad Expo, Spring 2021
“What’s the Deal With Mass Effect?” - Video Game Blog - The Punished Backlog, April 2021
“How to Plan Your Career Pivot: a Guide for Millennials and Gen Z” - Blog - Medium, March 2021
“Punished Chat: Superfans and a Final Fantasy Newbie Discuss VII Remake” - Video Game Blog - The Punished Backlog, February 2021
“I Love Mass Effect: 5 Great Things About the Originals and 5 Hopes for Legendary Edition” - Video Game Blog - The Punished Backlog, February 2021
“7 Games To Get Your Mom Into Gaming in the New Year” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, January 202
At the University of Pittsburgh, I was the Winner of the 2021 Jean Meyer Aloe Poetry Prize and the 2021 Third-Place Winner of the Nordan Kinder Fiction Prize.
2010 - 2020
“The 20 Games That Got Amanda Through 2020” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2020
“Cyberpunk 2077 and Things I’d Rather Do Instead” - Video Game Op-Ed - The Punished Backlog, December 2020
“Brands Drive Impact: Social Change Organizations Should Invest Accordingly” - Co-Writer of Essay - Medium, July 2018
“Why I Cried Reading a Rumi Poem to Graduating Camelback Fellows” - Blog - Camelback Ventures, September 2017
“Top 5 Moments of Reflection from the NationSwell Summit” - Blog - Camelback Ventures, November 2016
“Lagniappe: 5 Ladies Who Told Amazing Stories in October” - Blog - Camelback Ventures, October 2016
“Innovation Fund Blog: Project Journey, The Wakeable” - Blog Post - Venture for America, March 2016
“The Market and the Fest” · Essay/Creative Nonfiction - Public Books, August 2014
“Your New Favorite: A Review of Rusty Mackerel” - Restaurant Review - Culinarian Magazine, Spring 2014
“Adventure Time: A Day Trip from Manhattan to a Catskills Distillery” - Feature - Culinarian Magazine, Spring 2014
“Review: The Leopard at Des Artistes” - Restaurant Review - Culinarian Magazine, Winter 2013-14
“A World of Flavors: The Culture of Cheese” - Nonfiction - Culinarian Magazine, Winter 2013-14
“Exploring, Edibly” - Essay - Columbia Daily Spectator, October 2013
“Kicking it with Korilla” - Essay & Interview - Culinarian Magazine, Fall 2013
Barbie: Mariposa and the Fairy Princess - Fiction Children’s Coloring Book - Golden Books, July 2013 - ISBN: 9780449816240