Can you listen to my podcast/podcast idea and tell me what you think?

Not for free. I do offer podcast consulting services for a (reasonable, and sliding) fee. Reach out if you want to work something out.

Can you come speak to my class about journalism/podcasting?

Virtually, probably yes. In person, probably not (unless you’re based in the Bay Area) unless you’ve got the funds to cover my travel and time. Reach out and we can talk about it.

Do you have any tips for getting into science journalism?

There's no one way to get into science journalism or science writing. People come from all over the place to this, which is part of what makes the community so great. Ed Yong has a really good post about where many of us came from. I think by now that has something like 150 people's origin stories. Carl Zimmer also has some other really good advice for new science writers here. Science journalism is like any other journalism in more ways than you might expect. Don’t narrow your thinking or reading too much.

You can hear some really amazing science journalists on the Longform podcast talking about their journey and thinking as well: Ed Yong, Mary Roach, Brooke Jarvis, Latif Nasser, Jad Abumrad, Jon Moaallem, Christie Aschwanden, and more. The Open Notebook is another great resource for science writing information.

Journalism is an industry in economic and internal crisis, largely run by wealthy people who don’t care about you. Your peers are your allies, and you should treat them as such (rather than competitors). Reject the scarcity mindset. Find people you admire and connect with them. Build networks of support. Look out for one another. Join or start a union.

Pitch a lot, and don’t take rejection personally.

For every pitch you write, write it for three different publications. Send the first one to your first choice. Follow up a few times. If you don’t hear back, or they reject it, move on to your second and then third options. Learn from rejection but don’t read too much into hearing “no” a lot. Editors say no for a million reasons, but “this person sucks and I hate them” is almost never one of them. After the third no, get another set of eyes on the pitch. Ask your friends for help.

Keep a running list of ideas and pitches, even the rejected ones. Look at it every so often. You never know when a story might come back around, or a news item might trigger a new thought or connection.

Do you have any tips for getting into podcasting?

On the technical front a great place to start is Transom.org, where they have a ton of blog posts about everything from which mic to buy, to how to get your podcast RSS feed setup, to fact checking. I recommend starting with their Podcasting Basics series. Radio Public also has a really great set of resources that might help answer some of your questions. As does Multitude Productions.

In general, a super fancy mic is no replacement for a good idea. Spend less time worrying about sound design and equipment, and more time worrying about what you’re actually saying and how. Is your show unique? What is it offering listeners that isn’t already out there? Why will people tune in over and over again? (I promise it’s not because your mic sounds nice).

If you can’t come up with ten episode ideas for your podcast, you probably don’t have a sustainable podcast idea.

Ask your friends to listen to your show. Ask everybody you know to listen to your show. There is no shame in podcasting.

Everybody hates the sound of their own voice. Get over it. Learn to edit yourself with grace and humility, but also with force and clarity. Most things can and should be shorter.

If you don’t listen to podcasts, ask yourself why you want to make a podcast.

If you do listen to podcasts, branch out and try to listen to as much as possible. Figure out what works and what doesn’t. If a story sticks with you, listen to it again. Form a listening club with friends. Talk about how you would have done things differently, or what impressed you about a show or a story.

Should I go to journalism graduate school? Which science journalism program is best? Why did you go to SHERP?

I went to NYU’s SHERP program in 2010. I’m very glad I did. The world has changed a lot since then. I can’t speak to the other programs out there, since I didn’t go to them, but if you’re considering SHERP specifically I’m happy to talk to you about what it was like, shoot me an email. I can’t really tell you if you should go to graduate school but in general my feeling is that if you can do it without going into debt, it’s a great experience. If you have to go into debt, it might not be worth it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Can I buy your pottery/art?

Probably not. I’m really trying to keep my art a hobby that I do when I can, for my mental health. Very, very occasionally I will post work for sale in the Store. If you want to know when that is happening, the best way is by signing up for my newsletter. Members of my membership program get full behind the scenes look at the process and thinking behind my work, and early access to any sales. Become a member here.