A bit about me:
I’m Josephine, but I go by Jo. I’m a freelance editor and journalist based in North Carolina. I’m currently a part-time news reporter for Bustle.com, one of the largest websites for millennial women. As a journalist, I cover human rights, with some of my specializations in sexual assault, LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice, and science and health. I also did a short stint as a music journalist.
My work has been published by Bustle.com, Rewire.News, Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, ThinkProgress, NationSwell, Romper.com, Rolling Stone, and The Village Voice, among others.
I regularly make radio appearances to talk about my abortion policy reporting, though I’ve also spoken about gun violence, country music (yes, really), and sexual violence in prisons. I have appeared on panels to talk about my experience as a sexual assault survivor, and I have moderated discussions about women’s health.
My reporting
What 6 Young Climate Activists Do Every Day To Fight For The Planet, Bustle.com, Sept. 2019
The Ady Barkan ‘Uncovered’ Videos With 2020 Candidates Are Raw For A Reason, Bustle.com, Sept. 2019
How Will A Recession Affect Me & What Can I Do To Prepare For It?, Bustle.com, Sept. 2019
5 Senate Races To Watch In 2020 If You Care About Gun Safety, Bustle.com, Aug. 2019
How Survivors Of Jeffrey Epstein’s Alleged Abuse Could Still Get Justice After His Death, Bustle.com, Aug. 2019
Making Gun Violence A “Mental Health” Issue Will Only Cause More Harm, Experts Say, Bustle.com, Aug. 2019
The All-White Democratic Debate Left People Of Color Out Of The Gun Violence Discussion, Bustle.com, July 2019
How Trump’s Title X Gag Rule Will Harm Patients, According To Physicians & Clinic Workers, Bustle.com, July 2019
What Would Happen With A $15 Minimum Wage? The House Passed The Raise The Wage Act, Bustle.com, July 2019
Detention Disrupts Immigrants’ Lives. Activists Want ICE To Know What That’s Like., Bustle.com, July 2019
What The Evelyn Beatriz Hernandez Case In El Salvador Reveals About Abortion Bans, Bustle.com, July 2019
23 Fans At The USWNT Ticker Tape Parade On What This World Cup Win Means To Them, Bustle.com, July 2019
The Century-Old ‘Science Fiction’ Behind Ohio Rep’s Bill Covering Nonexistent Ectopic Pregnancy Treatment, Rewire.News, May 2019
In North Carolina Special Election, Who Is the Most Anti-Choice of Them All?, Rewire.News, April 2019
The Case for Public Sex Classes, Teen Vogue, April 2019
Valerie Huber’s New Role at HHS Could Bring Abstinence-Only Agenda to Global Policy, Rewire.News, Jan. 2019
These Are the Ways Plastics Can Mess Up Your Body, Teen Vogue, Dec. 2018
Rape Behind Bars: Stopping the Cycle of Violence, NationSwell, Sept. 2018
How to Support the Survivors In Your Life This Week, Marie Claire, Oct. 2018
Why Assault Memories are ‘Indelible’ for Some Survivors and Other Details May Be Lacking, Teen Vogue, Sept. 2018
Why Pro-Choice Groups Say The Kavanaugh Allegations & His Views On Abortion Are Linked, Bustle.com, Sept. 2018
Sexual Assault Survivors Talk About Sex After Rape, Teen Vogue, Aug. 2018
For Survivors of Prison Rape, Saying ‘Me Too’ Isn’t an Option, Rewire.News, Jan. 2018
What Two Sandy Hook Moms Wish They Knew Then, Romper.com, Dec. 2017
The One Thing Most Infertility Stories Don’t Mention, Romper.com, July 2017
These Women Are Helping To Stop Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission In Africa, Romper.com, June 2017
What A Sandy Hook Father Wants You To Know About The Gun Violence That Killed His Son, Romper.com, Oct. 2016
Essays and op-eds
The anti-trans Trump memo is already a reality for people like me, ThinkProgress, Oct. 2018
The right’s dangerous use of moral relativism to defend Sarah Sanders, ThinkProgress.com, June 2018
Grief Can Last For Years, So Why Don’t We Acknowledge It?, Romper.com, May 2018
Everyone Is Asking The Wrong Question In Response To The Aziz Ansari Allegations, Romper.com; also republished on Newsweek, Jan. 2018
The Man Who Assaulted Me Put My Photo On His Dating Profile. Here’s What I Did Next., Romper.com, Aug. 2017
I Visited My Mother’s Grave For The First Time After The Women’s March, & Here’s What I Said, Romper.com, Jan. 2017
I’m Afraid Of Motherhood Because It Means Losing My Mom All Over Again, Romper.com, May 2016
Travel/food writing
On a Fishing Charter with a Chef at Amelia Island, Florida, The Daily Meal
Chef Stephen Henry Brews Syrup in Tunnels, Keeps Bees on the Rooftop, and Still Has ‘More to Do’ in Chicago, The Daily Meal
620 Square Miles of Food Celebration and Conservation in Milan, The Daily Meal
Chef Mathew Wiltzius of Chicago’s Lockwood Restaurant Feeds Nostalgia with Carrot Cake, The Daily Meal
A Perfect Model of Sustainability in Amelia Island, Florida, The Daily Meal
When I’m not writing, I’m riding. I was two weeks old when my parents visited the Budweiser Clydesdale barn in New Hampshire, and my dad says he held me up in front of one of the Clydesdales. We looked each other in the eyes, and I haven’t been able to part with horses since. I’ve traveled to the Pyrenees in France and the countryside of Bosnia and Herzegovina to ride.
Contact
Email me: joyurcaba@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter.
Check out my resume.
