As you might imagine, there are lots of Rachel Levins out there. When I went shopping for a domain name, I found that rachellevin.com was already taken by a middle-aged Philadelphia realtor with a penchant for hot listings. Also, there’s another freelance journalist named Rachel Levin whose career seems to shadow mine (or mine hers). She too writes about culture and lifestyle for California-based publications and, I must admit, is more prolific than I. Though I’ve never met her, I keep crossing her path in strange ways. Once, a publicist in San Francisco mixed up our contact information in his Rolodex. Another time, a friend called to congratulate me on a byline in the New York Times – which was hers. This past year, our 1099 forms for Los Angeles magazine got mixed up! Thankfully, I got things straightened out before I had to pay taxes on her earnings.

When it came time to choose an address for my website, I opted to differentiate myself from this particular Rachel Levin and other Rachel Levins of the world at large. That’s why the website is christened with my full name — Rachel Beth Levin. So, I have now officially joined the ranks of three-name writers – Robert Penn Warren, Sue Monk Kidd, William Carlos Williams, Maxine Hong Kingston, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Jonathan Safran Foer, and (dare I say) Barack Hussein Obama – at least in spirit. Thanks to Mom and Dad for giving me a reasonably short and sweet middle name!

And thanks to all who visit the site. I hope you enjoy what you read here.