Science Writing Roundtable Featuring Jessica Leigh Hester, Linda Poon, and Sabrina Imbler

Description

Join three nationally recognized authors to discuss the rewards and challenges of science writing as a career. Whether covering breaking news or composing long-form nonfiction, science writers are responsible for communicating to the public the complex political and social issues intertwined with scientific developments. With bylines in The New York Times, NPR, CityLab, Defector, The Atlantic, and elsewhere, the panelists have explored a wide range of topics from urban infrastructure to unusual sea creatures. Reflecting on their work, Jessica Leigh Hester, Linda Poon, and Sabrina Imbler will share insights about pitching, investigating, and writing stories in a changing publishing industry.

This event is presented by the Program in Medicine, Science, and the Humanities.

About the panelists:

Jessica Leigh Hester is a journalist and historian-in-training whose reporting focuses on science and the environment. She has covered ecology, waste, and other science topics for outlets such as The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and NPR. Hester's first book, Sewer, about the science of waste disposal, is out now from Bloomsbury.

Linda Poon is a staff writer at Bloomberg CityLab who covers climate change and urban life. Her stories reveal the role of infrastructure, design, and economics in shaping city environments, and communicate new research on health, safety, and sustainability. Poon has previously worked for NPR, National Geographic, and Science magazine.

Sabrina Imbler is a staff writer at Defector, where they cover creatures. Previously Imbler worked as a reporting fellow on the science and health desk of The New York Times. They have received fellowships or scholarships from Tin House, the Asian American Writers' Workshop, and Jack Jones Literary Arts. Imbler's book, How Far the Light Reaches, weaves together the marine biology of extreme ocean environments with resonant human experiences of adaptation, survival, sexuality, and care.