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Guest Name
Mara Altman
Guest Occupation
Freelance Journalist, Author, Columnist
Guest Biography

I am a freelance journalist and author. Bearded Lady, a Kindle Single chronicling my battle with body hair, is my most recent piece. Prior to that, I wrote Sparkle, my Kindle Single on engagement rings. Sparkle managed to become a 2011 top 10 Kindle Single. Prior to that, I wrote several articles for Inside Jersey, The Star-Ledger's monthly magazine. One of these pieces, The Pleasure Lab, was awarded a bronze Eddie Award. I wrote several articles for Inside Jersey, The Star-Ledger's monthly magazine. One of these pieces, The Pleasure Lab, was awarded a bronze Eddie Award.

I've also written articles for First Things, New York Magazine and The New York Times. When I am not freelancing, I am: working on my second book, taunting my lactose intolerance with lattes, cracking my knuckles, and then wondering if I'm going to get arthritis from cracking my knuckles and adjuncting at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

My first book, Thanks For Coming, was published by Harper Collins in 2009. It is curently being translated into three languages - German, Portuguese and Spanish. In the summer of 2010, Thanks for Coming was optioned by HBO.

Before I was writing novels and freelancing, I was a staff writer for the Village Voice and for daily newspapers in both India and Thailand.