Stories
Skloot has written more than 200 feature articles, personal essays, book reviews, and news stories for The New York Times Magazine; O, The Oprah Magazine; Discover; Columbia Journalism Review; Seed; New York Magazine; Slate; Popular Science; The Chicago Tribune; and other publications. Her work has been anthologized in several collections, including Best Food Writing and The Best Creative Nonfiction. See below for selected stories.
The New York Times Magazine
“Creature Comforts,” January 2009. It’s no longer just guide dogs for blind people. Service animals now include monkeys for quadriplegics, parrots for psychotics and at least one assistance duck. Should the law recognize all of them? Download as a PDF or at nyt.com.
“Taking the Least of You,” April 2006. Cover story. Those blood and tissue samples you routinely give – where are they? Who owns them? What are they being used for? And how come you don’t know? See Skloot’s blog for follow-up to this story. Download as a PDF or at nyt.com.
“Two Americas, Two Restaurants, One Town,” October 2004. Scenes from civil war, with pork chops. Anthologized in Best Food Writing 2005. Download at nyt.com.
“Fixing Nemo,” May 2004. Does your pet goldfish suffer from tumors, broken bones, impacted eggs or unattractive scales? Vets can now fix them. Download at nyt.com.
Skloot has also contributed frequently to The New York Times Magazine’s annual “Year in Ideas” issue, writing about everything from Snowball the dancing cockatoo to lapdance science to one man’s quest to create a singable national anthem.
O: The Oprah Magazine
“Why Is It So Damn Hard to Change,” January 2007. Cover story. Skloot explores why dieters falter and armchair athletes remain seated. Turns out it’s not because they’re “weak.” Download at rebeccaskloot.com or oprahmagazine.com.
New York Magazine
“When Pets Attack,” May 2005. Best Personal Essay 2004, American Society of Journalists & Authors. A pack of wild dogs loose in Manhattan mauls people and other dogs (including Skloot’s). The city does nothing because of loopholes in the law. Download at nymag.com.
Prevention
Skloot, a former veterinary technician, wrote a monthly column on pets for Prevention. Her inaugural column, “Feeding Disorders” — about pet obesity — ran in June 2007, followed by “The Good Good-Bye,” about having a healthy death experience. The archive of her columns is available online here.
NOVA ScienceNOW
Skloot is a writer and television correspondent for NOVA ScienceNOW. Her recent segment on the expanding field of fish veterinary medicine is available online here. See also her audio slideshow, which explains the most common pet-fish ailments, and what fish owners do to save them (MRIs, CT scans, surgery, you name it).
