Northwest Science Writers Association

Whether you’re looking to dip your toe into freelancing as a second job, take the plunge into the full-time freelance life, or an editor looking to better understand the challenges freelancers face, our speakers’ short talks on Sept. 19 touched on the myriad skills freelancers must cultivate, and provided practical tips on how to master them.

Thanks to nationally recognized astronomy educator Dennis Schatz for joining us after his “Science in the City” talk on Aug. 1 at Pacific Science Center and telling us what to expect during the solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on April 28, 2017, for Compelling Science Storytelling: A Pacific Northwest Workshop for Science Communicators. This was a one-day workshop and networking opportunity in Seattle, with a special emphasis for public information officers, including new science PIOs and former science journalists who are now PIOs.

During our two-mile walk on Tuesday, July 18, David B. Williams — freelance writer and former NSWA president — discussed the full scope of the massive Denny regrade project, pointing out often overlooked but still existing evidence of the topographic changes, and explaining how this reshaping of the Seattle landscape continues to shape the city and those who call it home.

Rain rerouted Lynda Mapes‘ planned tour of Volunteer Park on June 15 to Canterbury Ale House, where she gave a talk to members and guests on her new book, Witness Tree. Mapes discussed the year she spent living with a 100-year-old oak tree in Harvard Forest and how she used the experience to bring a new and deeply personal perspective to the complex story of climate change.

With the birth of “alternative facts” and the recent surge of interest in fact-checking the news, the pressure is high for the media and communicators to get their stories straight. The Society of Professional Journalists Western Washington and the Northwest Science Writers Association presented a panel on May 10 at Town Hall Seattle on getting the facts right in modern news.

In a superheated political environment, does a pro-science position risk being seen as partisan? Members and guests joined us on April 19 at Peddler Brewing Company for an informal conversation with scientists, science writers, and an organizer of Seattle’s March for Science.

Members and guests saw space horror movie “Life” with microbiologist Mark Owen Martin on April 15 at Sundance Cinema in the University District, then dissected the movie at Blue Moon Tavern.

In an era of “fake news” and “alternative facts,” how well can you draw the line on what counts as truth? What role do science writers play in spreading or exposing spurious science? On March 14, UW professors Carl T. Bergstrom and Jevin West shared advice on deciphering the signal from the noise, for yourself and your readers.

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, members and guests dove into two aspects of the craft of storytelling—longform narrative and international reporting—with the 2016 winners of our career development awards, Chris Solomon and Wudan Yan.

This year’s can’t-miss event for science writers in the Pacific Northwest happened on Jan. 5 in Bellevue at one of the world’s biggest, most eclectic invention factories, Intellectual Ventures’ Global Good and Research Laboratory.