Selected Writing

Reporting at the mouth of the Elwha River for National Geographic.

I’ve worked as a reporter for an alt-weekly; a writer for national non-profits; and as a screenwriter for HBO & CBS. I’ve taught environmental ed, journalism and nonfiction writing to both kids and adults, and have held various editorial roles for an educational magazine, an architecture magazine, an ethical fashion magazine, and several Fortune-500 companies. I edited and managed my own long-running website, and two other mid-sized sustainability news sites.

I’m now a full-time freelance science writer based in the Seattle area. I also write fiction and memoir. Below are some of my more recent selected writings. Read my full CV (including my non-wordsmith work like dog-running, ceramics, and horticulture) on this page.

Investigative Reporting

How the DNA Method That Caught the Golden State Killer Can Expose Ivory Trafficking Networks for National Geographic

Scientist Exodus from US Government for Undark

Animals and Wildlife  

How does wildfire smoke affect wildlife? Here’s what we know for National Geographic

Fishers reintroduced to Washington Complete Carnivore Restoration for National Geographic

How coastal beavers are helping the salmon recovery in Washington for National Geographic

Meet the shape-shifting baby amphibians that become cannibals for Nat Geo

How wildlife bridges over highways make animals—and people—safer

for National Geographic

What Happens to Fish After a Wildfire? for Hakai Magazine

How IVF Might Bring Coral Back to the Florida Keys for The Daily Beast

Tigers and Polar Bears Get Nothing from Capitalism for Gizmodo (Earther)

The Real Bat Cave That’s Even More Fantastic Than Batman’s for CNN Travel

Technology

Assessing COVID risk and more with air quality monitors for Scientific American

Airships: New Lift Tech & Sustainability for Popular Mechanics

Meet Your Robot Caretaker for The Washington Examiner

The Future of Seattle’s Ferries is Electric for the NRDC

In Washington, a Coal-Fired Power Plant Will Put Its Money on the Sun for the NRDC

How AI Can Help Addicts Stay Sober for The Daily Beast

Technology Unlocks the Mysteries of Bird Flight for Scientific American

Medicine & Health 

Anxious, Lonely or Angry? Try Dancing for the Washington Post

What makes women strong?  Elemental (Medium)

Post-Traumatic Growth: With Support, Some Traumas Can Help Us Grow for CNN

Expert Advice for Mayors and Governors Help Their Cities, Towns, and States Weather the Coronavirus Epidemic for Business Insider

AI Can Predict Kidney Failure Days in Advance for Scientific American

Can 3-D Printing Produce Lung and Liver Tissue for Transplants? Scientific American

How Fake Science Saved Lives for Gizmodo

Fascinatingly Filthy, How Bad Science Saved Lives in Victorian London for Mental Floss

5 Promising Male Birth Control Methods for Mental Floss

How the Media Got Pranked Over Chocolate for MNN.com

Researchers Make New Inroads to Cure the Flu for From the Grapevine

Geology & Earth Sciences

In Utah, Industry Pounces on What Were, Not Long Ago, Our Public Lands for the NRDC

Your Climate Change Survival Plan for Medium

Ancient Shipwrecks are a Treasure Trove of Climate Data for Gizmodo (Earther)

California’s Wildfires Could Be the New Normal for Vice

Make Antarctica Green Again? for Vice

Humans Produce So Much Junk, We’re Creating a New Geologic Layer for Slate

How does Dead Sea salt form those giant cubes? for From the Grapevine

Space & Mars

What Stratospheric Life Teaches Us About Extremophiles: NASA’s Astrobiology Magazine

Panspermia: Sharing Life with Planets Next Door: for NASA’s Astrobiology Magazine

Institute of Planetary Research: NASA’s Astrobiology Magazine

Search for Water on Mars Gets Water-Enhanced Boost: NASA’s Astrobiology Magazine

The Gloves We’ll Wear on Mars for Medium

How Ancient Star Maps Gave Rise to Modern Astronomy for Gizmodo

What Kind of Suits Do Astronauts Need to Survive on the Red Planet? for Newsweek

When we go to Mars, how will we protect space life from us? for Mental Floss

Environment & Resources

Mussels Keep Watch on Pollution in Puget Sound for NRDC

The Warning Lights Are Flashing for California’s Once-Glorious Salton Sea for NRDC

Bacteria Floating 30,000 Feet Overhead Could Be Influencing the Weather for Earther

Could feeding seaweed to cows help save the climate? for Mental Floss

You Might Be Eating Plastic and Fibers with Your Fish for Mental Floss

From Plant to Cup: A Green Tea Photoessay for MNN.com

How to Fix a Leaky Faucet, on a Global Scale for From the Grapevine

Women and the Law

Texas Abortion Ban Sends Women Scrambling for Care for Business Insider

The Lifelong Consequences of Rape for Pacific Standard

Killing Your Husband to Save Yourself for Pacific Standard

Beyond Roe v. Wade: Five Other Standout Cases That Defined Abortion Rights for Vice (Broadly)

Architecture, Art, & Design 

Listen to the Haunting Sounds of Antarctica’s Disintegrating Ice Sheets for Earther (Gizmodo Media Group)

The Fourth Dimension for Labocine (science film archive)

Where were the Usual Suspects in “Making a Murderer?” for Pacific Standard

Game Changers, 2015: Liam Casey for Metropolis magazine

Q&A: Paul Hawken for Metropolis magazine

All Natural (Mushroom-derived furniture) for Metropolis magazine

Ask the Experts: Garden Design (urban gardener Kari Elwell-Katzander) for New York magazine

Design vs. Art for Metropolis online

Travel & Culture 

The Airship is Making a Futuristic, Luxury Comeback for Digital Trends

Why Vacations Matter for Your Health for CNN Travel

How the World is Changing for Autistic Travelers for CNN Travel

Why You Should Travel to See an Aurora and How to Do It for Lifehacker

Escape Rooms: Why People Flock to These “Tourist Traps” for CNN Travel

The Real Bat Cave That’s Even More Fantastic Than Batman’s for CNN Travel

Obama Designates First Atlantic Ocean National Monument for Conde Nast Traveler

How to Feel Like You Went on Vacation by Meditating for Conde Nast Traveler

Why You Should Roadtrip Through Mexico for Conde Nast Traveler

Looming Large: Beautiful Textiles Around the World for Conde Nast Traveler

How to Travel Well When You Have a 9-5 Job for MNN.com

7 Cultural Concepts We Don’t Have in the U.S. for MNN.com

Suzou: Everything You Want From a Visit to China for LuxuryTravel.About.com

Eco Chic Guide to Mexico City for Coco Eco magazine

Food & Drink

The Accidental Wine Expert: Professor Pierre Ly profile for Arches

What’s a Balmain Bug, and Why Do Australians Love Them? for Saveur

Why Olympians Love a High-Fat Diet (Take It with a Grain of Salt) for The Daily Beast

Italy’s Free Coffee Tradition and Other Acts of Kindness for Conde Nast Traveler

The Great Outdoors

How, and Why, to Try Running Totally Barefoot for Lifehacker

Swimming with Whale Sharks for LuxuryTravel.About.com

Giant Trees and Waterfalls in Olympic National Park for MNN.com (includes original photography)

The Hot List (best US hot springs destinations) for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine

Hiking the Napali Coast of Kauaii for the Huffington Post

Smart Consumption

From Roots to Rack feature article on botanical dying for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine

It’s all the Jeans article on Raleigh Denim jeans for Martha Stewart’s Whole Living magazine

Overwhelmed? Author Brigid Schulte Explains Our Cult of Busyness for MNN.com

The Minimalists Share Their Journey to a Simpler Life for MNN.com

How Often Do You Really Need to Shower? for MNN.com (linked to from partner site CNN.com)

Memoir & Essay 

Lockdown Has Been a Relief for This Introvert for The Candidly

I Went Bankrupt. I Don’t Regret It. for The Candidly

I’m Childfree and Proud for The Candidly

Escape from the USA for Medium

American Literary Review: “Icewalkers” (Second Place in the ALR’s annual competition)

Marie Claire: Dating as a Childfree Woman

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