It’s a camel. Her name is Mona. Friday Harbor, Washington.

It’s a camel. Her name is Mona. Friday Harbor, Washington.

Hello! I’m Mara. I am an award-winning science journalist, editor, and author based in Seattle, Washington. I use humor, accessible writing, and solid science to inform audiences of all ages.

I’ve covered all areas of science but am particularly drawn to the strange, slimy, and generally biological. My work has appeared in outlets such as Slate, Hakai Magazine, Scholastic Science World, and the New York Times for Kids. I’ve served as a senior editor for Natural History Magazine and am the former editor of Scholastic SuperScience, a classroom science magazine for students in grades 3 to 6.

I also write middle-grade nonfiction science books, including Break Down for National Geographic Kids, which was listed as a Best STEM Book of 2022 by the National Science Teaching Association. My book WTF Evolution?! A Theory of Unintelligible Design was called “hilarious” by Scientific American, selected as one of the top science books of the year by io9, and crowned “the best bathroom book ever” by an anonymous Amazon review. In 2014, I won the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award for Children’s Science News. I have a master’s degree in Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting from New York University.

I am available for freelance writing, editing, and other projects. Have something I can help with? Please get in touch!