From the Biblio-Files

Sheril Kirshenbaum's work has placed her as an expert in science communication. She co-wrote the bestselling book UnScientific America, which discusses the lack of scientific literacy in the American public and ways to fix it. Here she discusses her current work and the impact of her book. 

Dr. Olivia Judson is an evolutionary biologist and science writer. Her bestselling book Dr. Tatiana's Guide to All Sex Creation takes a unique spin on explaining the evolution of sexual behaviors in animals. Here she discusses her book and her future work. 

Randy Olson is an award-winning documentary maker and popular science writer. His critically acclaimed documentary "Flock of Dodos," examines the public perception of climate change. He's also the author of Don't be Such a Scientist and Houston, We Have a Narrative, both foundational books discussing science writing. 

Matt Swayne is an Adjunct Journalism professor at Penn State University and a Science Writer for the Penn State Institute for CyberScience. He si also a staff writer at The Quantum Daily, a news source that breaks down quantum science. Here Kenna talks with Matt about the secrets for writing about quantum science, as well as his own history in becoming a science writer. 

Dr. Brian Jones is a physics professor at Colorado State University and founder and leader of the Little Shop of Physics, a program that teaches young kids the science of physics. Here Kenna interviews Brian about his work and the stereotypes around physics and why it is perceived to be a more difficult subject to study in science. 

Dr. Helen Scales is a marine biologist, writer, and broadcaster. She is the author of the Guardian bestseller Spirals in Time, New Scientist book of the year Eye of the Shoal, and the children’s book The Great Barrier Reef. She writes for National Geographic Magazine, the Guardian, and New Scientist, among others. She currently teaches at Cambridge University. This interview covers Eye of the Shoal and Poseidon's Steed. 

Lover of anything ocean-related and popular science writer, Juli Berwald shares the tales from her best-selling book "Spineless," all about the history and evolution of jellyfish. 

Dr. Wallace J Nichols, also called "J," is a marine biologist and popular science writer. His book "Blue Mind" discusses the impacts of the ocean on human psychology. Here this interview discusses his book, as well as his popular "Blue Mind" conference. 

Laura Pritchett is a popular nonfiction and fiction writer. Her work is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by her native Colorado. Both her fiction and nonfiction often focus on issues of ecology, conservation, climate change, and social justice issues. She has been awarded the PEN USA Award for Fiction, the High Plains Literary Award, the Milkweed National Fiction Prize, the WILLA Fiction Award, and others. She is the editor of three anthologies, all on environmental topics, and writes regularly for magazines. Laura also teaches at Western University in Northern Colorado. Listen as host Kenna Castleberry interviews Laura about her book Great Colorado Bear Stories 

Florence Williams is a journalist, author, and podcaster. She is a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and a freelance writer for the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, The New York Review of Books, Slate, Mother Jones and numerous other publications. Host Kenna Castleberry interviews Florence about her book The Nature Fix in this episode. 

John Calderazzo’s poems, essays, and stories have appeared widely, including in Audubon, Brevity, Georgia Review, High Country News, Orion, The Normal School, and Witness. He taught creative nonfiction writing at Colorado State University, where he won a Best CSU Teacher Award, co-founded a university-wide teaching climate change initiative, and taught scientists how to communicate with the public.  He lives in Bellvue, Colorado. John's books include a freelance-writing guide, a children’s science book, and Rising Fire: Volcanoes and Our Inner Lives. Listen as host Kenna Castleberry interviews John about Rising Fire. 

Dr. Kathryn Harkup is a science communicator, chemist, and author. She has found a successful niche writing about science within some of literature's most popular books. Here, Kenna discusses Kathryn's wildly popular books: "A is for Arsenic," "Making the Monster," and "Death by Shakespeare." You can find out more about Kathryn at www.harkup.co.uk

Cody Cassidy is a popular science writer for Wired Magazine. Here, Kenna interviews Cody about his book, "And Then You're Dead," which is all about the physics of weird death scenarios. 

While some listeners may realize that Sam Kean is on our podcast twice, there is a good reason for that! This episode features Sam Kean's newest book: "The Icepick Surgeon," which discusses scientists who got obsessed with an idea and then went way too far with it. You can find the book everywhere in bookstores, as well as his website www.samkean.com 

In an exclusive interview, host Kenna Castleberry discusses Accessory to War, a book written by Avis Lang and Neil DeGrasse Tyson focusing on the partnership between the military and space exploration groups, like NASA. Avis has been an adjunct lecturer in English at the City University of New York and is currently a Research Associate at the Hayden Planetarium.

Brian Clegg is a popular UK science writer whose book "Dice World," focuses on randomness in our universe. 

Matt Montrose is not only a high school biology teacher but a game designer. In the episode, Kenna talks to Matt about his popular game "Ecologies," which teaches players about food webs, ecosystem science, and more. 

CEO and Founder of the nonprofit organization Pretty Brainy, Heidi Olinger's mission is to inspire girls of all ages to pursue careers in a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) field. Here, Kenna talks to Heidi about Pretty Brainy's work in Colorado, as well as Heidi's popular children's book "Leonardo's Science Workshop," covering the inventions of Leonardo Da Vinci. 

Chris Ferrie is a popular children's writer, authoring books such as "Astrophysics for Babies," part of the Baby University series. Here Kenna talks with Chris about his book series, as well as current work. 

From chemistry to historical discoveries, Sam Kean has covered all of it. In this interview Sam discusses one of his most popular books "the Disappearing Spoon," and his own podcast by the same name. 

Deborah Blum is not only a best-selling science writer, but she is the Director of the Knight Science Journalism program at MIT. This interview focuses on her book "The Poisoner's Handbook," which focuses on poisons in prohibition New York City. 

Best-selling botany writer Amy Stewart has written some of the most intriguing titles, such as "Wicked Plants," and "the Drunken Botanist." In this interview, Amy talks about her work, her research process, and what she's currently doing. 

Welcome to From the Biblio-Files, a science writing book-club of sorts. Here we highlight science communicators from around the world to discuss their work and how they tell stories to share science. Barbara J King is a popular science writer whose focus is on animal behaviors and welfare. She is a professor at William and Mary College, and this interview focuses on her most recent book, Animals' Best Friends. Join host and interviewer Kenna Castleberry as she discusses Barbara's research. 

From horror stories of Victorian medical practices to doctor's notes, medical writer Thomas Morris dissects all in his book The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth. In this interview you'll learn about some of the weirdest things found inside patients' bodies, and where some of our common medical practices originated from. 

In our third episode on this podcast, host Kenna Castleberry interviews Sy Montgomery, an award-winning and popular science writer about her best-selling book The Soul of an Octopus. Sy has written at least 50 books and has covered topics such as Amazon pink dolphins, Gorillas, Emus, and others. Listen now to hear Sy's full story of how she became a popular science writer