Writer. Author. Scientist.
Curious Conversationalist.
I love to write and have one-on-one conversations with people. Many of my casual conversations, not meant to be “interviews,” end up with the other person saying to me, “I can’t believe I am telling you all of this!”
I’m genuinely curious about other people — I want to know what someone is thinking, why they did this or that thing, what makes them tick, and people tend to open up to me. This is even more fun when those people are scientists and I can help tell their story to a wider audience than they may have reached otherwise.
When I’m writing fiction, a solitary experience, I love punctuating the hours alone with conversations with experts on topics I need to understand more about, like crime scenes and clinical trials, for some recent examples.
What Do You Write?
I write about science and scientists, and about a lot of other things, too. I write about what I see and experience and about what moves me. I write short and long articles, stories, essays, songs, and poems. I hope to soon add “books” to this list. I write in my journal everyday, something as essential to me as brushing my teeth or a drinking a cup of coffee.
What's New?
September 19, 2025
The past months have brought some great opportunities for writing and conversation my way!
In June, I got to be In Conversation with author Kay White Drew on her new book, Stress Test: A Memoir, about her medical training in 1970s Baltimore. You’ll find a clip of our exchange in Conversations!
In July, I had two pieces published in the Princeton Alumni Weekly — one was an interview with author Morgan Jerkins, who just published her fourth book, Zeal, and is meeting a challenging publishing landscape with innovative events and an intrepid outlook; in the other piece, I followed up with some Princeton alumni scientists whose work on early cancer detection I wrote about back in March. I wanted to learn how changes in the funding landscape were affecting them . . . I learned about challenges, but also about brave pivots. As the former head of the NIH said, we have reason to hold onto optimisim.
And in September, I launched Season Three of the Science Fare Podcast. Episodes on the Scientific Method with scientist and writer Alan Lightman are up, and over the coming months look for episodes on lab safety, the metric system, human biology and model organisms, how radiologists and oncologists work together, aerogels, and more! One of the best parts of the podcast work is having the incredibly talented Lucy Pohl working with me as a high school intern.
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The Latest:
Conversations
Conversation with Kay White Drew on Her Book Stress Test: A Memoir
September 19, 2025
On June 11, Susan sat down with Kay White Drew at Baltimore’s Bird in Hand bookshop to discuss Kay’s new book, Stress Test: A Memoir. Kay’s memoir is about her medical training in Baltimore in the 1970s. They will be in conversation once more on Saturday, October 25 at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore for […]
Science Articles
Alums Researching Liquid Biopsy for Cancer Diagnosis Face Funding Cuts
September 19, 2025
The people who cut Graham Read ’15’s program likely didn’t know they cut prostate cancer research In late February, Graham Read ’15 was looking forward to an article featuring his work on early prostate cancer detection coming out in the next Princeton Alumni Weekly. He did not expect that around the same time, the website […]
Podcasts
Alan Lightman on the Scientific Method, Science, and Scientists
September 11, 2025
Alan Lightman is a writer and physicist. Originally from Memphis, he has served on the faculties of Harvard and MIT and was the first person at MIT to receive dual faculty appointments in science and in the humanities. He is currently a professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT. Alan has authored numerous […]
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What Kind of Conversations?
I talk with scientists and writers, and sometimes with the rare person who is both.
I talk with scientists about how they got involved in their research, what is exciting about it, what was hard about it, what was surprising about it, and what they want a reader to take away when I write about it. I often do this as part of background research for an article I am writing, but sometimes the conversation itself is the product.
I talk with writers about their journey and process as a writer. What inspires them? What moves them? Where do the ideas come from? Which parts of writing are easy and which are hard? I do this mainly at the Manor Mill Prose Nights, and informally whenever I have the chance to talk to a writer.
I am seeking opportunities to have more conversations as the end product, whether as a published interview, a live conversation at an event, or as a video or podcast recording. I love connecting with another person in a one-on-one conversation, and building a connection between that person and an audience.
Contact me to start a conversation →
Image: Susan Keatley talks with Madison Smartt Bell about his novel, The Witch of Matongé, at the first Manor Mill Writers Guild Prose Night.