Laura Markowitz comes to radio after a 22-year career as a magazine writer and editor. Her cover stories have appeared in Utne Reader Glamour, Ms, Mademoiselle, Tricycle, Self and many other publications. She tries not to cringe at the titles her editors give to some of her more popular articles, such as "When He Cheats!"

Laura grew up in New York, and earned a B.A. in comparative religion from Swarthmore College. She spent a year traveling in Asia, the Middle East and Europe on a fellowship from the Thomas J. Watson Foundation, investigating the lives of women in traditional religions.

In 1986, she moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the National Security Archive. She was cataloguing declassified government documents when the Iran-Contra scandal broke, and she became a Principal Editor of The Chronology: The Documented Day-by-Day Account of the Secret Military Assistance to Iran and to the Contras (Warner Books, 1987).

From there, she moved into magazine writing and editing. She covered mental health and family therapy for The Family Therapy Networker for 11 years, and won a National Magazine Award for writing in 1993, from the American Society of Magazine Editors.

For a decade, Laura also published a multiple-award-winning magazine called In the Family, which focused on mental health issues for LGBT families. In 2004, she was given the Innovative Contribution to Family Therapy Award by the American Family Therapy Academy for her coverage of the field.

In 2002, Laura moved to Tucson, where she and her partner have been restoring their land with native plants and water harvesting techniques. Laura served as vice-chair of the City of Tucson's Human Relations Commission and as president of the Board of Directors of Voices, Inc. She is delighted to be a contributor to Arizona Spotlight.