About Michael May

Michael May is the former managing editor of the Texas Observer, and his radio pieces have aired on programs such as This American Life and Marketplace, among others. After tracking down the only Russian swing band conductor to perform during the Stalin years and having his piece aired on NPR’s All Things Considered, May quit his job and declared himself a journalist. He has explored tensions between Israelis and Palestinians over shared water resources and reported on Bolivian prisoners who live with their families and hold jobs, including manufacturing cocaine to sell to visiting tourists. May prefers traveling as a journalist to tourism, because it gives him an excuse to follow his curiosity.