Dear sciwrite alumni,

After 25 successful workshops, drawing approximately 1,000 people from around the world, we have decided to call it a wrap. When we began in 1996, we hardly imagined that the Santa Fe Science Writing Workshop would go on to attract such an interesting and talented crowd, and we thank you all for being part of this. We have also been honored to include among our instructors more than 60 science journalists from the top tiers of our profession.

Though we don’t know what the future will hold, we are talking to a couple of colleagues who might decide to take up the reins. If that happens it won’t be soon enough for a 2023 workshop, but we will keep you posted at sciwrite.org. And maybe, not too long from now, we will plan a grand reunion of everyone who came together to make this endeavor possible.

Meanwhile, two former participants, Kerry Bennett (Class of ’17, ’19 and ’22) and Gillian Dohrn (Class of ’22), have volunteered to contact as many of you as possible with the aim of starting an informal alumni network. In a herculean effort they have compiled an initial mailing list. Please stay tuned for a message from them, which will describe how you can sign up for future emails and begin what we all hope will be a rewarding collaboration.

George Johnson and Sandra Blakeslee

Hello, everybody.

We just learned that Inn of the Governors will have table service for the daily breakfast (beginning at 6:30 a.m.) instead of the buffet we’ve been used to in the past. (Lunches will still be buffet-style.) So please keep in mind that a quick hit-and-run breakfast won’t be possible. We were advised to allow 45 minutes. We’ll need to take that into account so we can arrive in the lobby at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday to carpool to the Santa Fe Institute. The rest of the week will be easier since the meetings will be in a conference room next to the dining area.

We have always found the service at the inn to be first-rate, and we expect the same this year. However, in light of the post-pandemic staffing crunch, the management has asked for our patience about any glitches that might occur.

We’ll go over this again briefly on Monday night when we first see you all.

Safe travels!

Freelancing Sucks, Long Live Freelancing,  from The Last Word on Nothing

How Not to Pitch,  from The Open Notebook

Making First Contact With Editors, from The Open Notebook

Working With Editors—and Their Edits, Chapter 8 of The Science Writer’s Handbook (pdf download)

From now until the beginning of the workshop, we’ll  be adding files to the folder at http://sciwrite.org/downloads/

A Cancer Cluster Is Tough to Prove

Random Chance’s Role in Cancer

An Apple a Day, and Other Myths

A Tumor, the Embryo’s Evil Twin

Why Everyone Seems to Have Cancer

How Many People Were Killed by Love Canal? The surprising statistics of environmental cancers

Cancer Cluster or Chance?

Unearthing Prehistoric Tumors

We’re pleased to announce an addition to the schedule. Special guest Nadja Popovich, a data and graphics reporter at The New York Times, will talk about Visualizing Climate Change. You can see Nadja’s work on her page at the Times, https://www.nytimes.com/by/nadja-popovich, and on her website, https://nadjapopovich.com

For anyone planning to stay at Inn of the Governors, please be sure to reserve your room before Friday, April 1.  Call the hotel at (800) 234-4534 and tell them you will be attending the Santa Fe Science Writing Workshop. They will ask for one night’s deposit by check or credit card to hold your room.

We are now taking applications for the few remaining openings. Please apply at sciwrite.org.

This is a reminder that January 31 is the deadline for those who have been accepted into the workshop to pay tuition.  More details are in our December 21 post.

For those on the waiting list: please stay tuned until February when we may have some openings.

We’ve posted an early draft of the daily schedule: http://sciwrite.org/scisked.html

While details may change you can rely on the opening and closing times to plan your air travel.