As an environmental writer, I explore the complex interconnections between ecology and culture. I’m currently working on a book about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), known as “forever chemicals” due to their extreme persistence. I write ContamiNation, a Substack newsletter focused on PFAS and microplastics, twin threats to ecological and human health. In April 2024, the Pulitzer Center named me one of its first StoryReach U.S. fellows, reporting on the challenges arising from PFAS use in firefighting.
In 2022, I received the Doris O’Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship, completing a series of in-depth articles mapping the pathways and impacts of PFAS in Maine.
My Sea Change column highlights ways to live more sustainably and address environmental and societal challenges. First launched in 2014, it’s published and distributed through the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting. Past Sea Change columns, archived here, are available for reprint. (Sea Change is on hiatus currently while I complete my book manuscript.)
The author of Turning to Earth (University of Virginia Press), I hold a Ph.D. in natural resources and an MA in English/creative nonfiction writing (both from the University of New Hampshire), and an interdisciplinary honors BA from Brown University.
Before becoming an independent writer, I worked on coastal issues in state government and served as a communications consultant to environmental organizations and agencies.
