2023
- March – Kirkus gives Brave the Wild River a starred review, calling it “a beautiful tribute to two pioneering women of science.”
- March – Publisher’s Weekly gives Brave the Wild River a starred review: “Sevigny recreates their expedition in novelistic detail, producing a narrative as propulsive as the current of the Colorado. Readers will be swept away.”
- February – I moderate a Q&A with Dr. Alan Stern about the future of NASA’s New Horizons mission for Lowell Observatory’s I Heart Pluto Festival. Watch it here.
- February – I’m featured in this article on women in science in The NAU Review
2022
- December – Christie Aschwanden gives a shout-out to Brave the Wild River, calling it her favorite nonfiction books of 2022 in her blog post on The Last Word on Nothing, saying, “Sevigny makes Clover and Jotter come alive and will make plant lovers out of any reader.”
- May – My KNAU story about fishing for exotic brown trout in the Colorado River won two regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Excellence in Writing and Sports Reporting. (See all the Region 3 winners here).
2021
- October – I’m featured in Carolyn Wilke’s story “Reporting Unsung Histories of Science,” for The Open Notebook
- September – “The Price of Cherries” is listed as a notable essay in this year’s edition of Best American Science & Nature Writing.
- August – Antonia Malchik, author of The Walking Life, plugs Mythical River in this episode of the Mountain & Prairie podcast with Ed Roberson
- April – Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds at The Dollop have their own hilarious take on my article in the Atavist about two botanists who rafted the Colorado River in 1938. Listen here.
- April – Rebecca Lawton features me on her list of women nature writers, with a shout-out to my forthcoming book on Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter.
- January – Julia Hull interviews me for an episode of her podcast, “WTF, Biology?” We discuss science writing and the legacy of Rachel Carson.
2020
December – I’m featured in DJ Lee’s “witness ~ wilderness” newsletter, along with yarn artist Sarah Swett. You can subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of the page.- October – A nice shout-out from Antonia Malchik in her Oct. 27 blog post for “The Wild Ones” in The Atavist Magazine
- October – “The Wild Ones” in The Atavist Magazine receives the gold prize for adventure travel writing in the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, hosted by the Society for American Travel Writers
- October – Book deal announcement: Science journalist Melissa Sevigny’s BRAVE THE WILD RIVER, sold to Matt Weiland at Norton, at auction, by Laurie Abkemeier at DeFiore and Company (world English).
- June – COVID-19 Seattle Podcast, “Is It Safe To Reopen?“
- February – KJZZ interview, “Navajo Nation Homes Getting Addresses Thanks To Google Project.”
- January – Science Friday features my story on Biosphere 2’s rainforest research
2019
- December – KJZZ interviews me about “The Wild Ones”
- November – The Sunday Long Read names my story “The Wild Ones” in The Atavist Magazine as a favorite read and “the lede of the week.” It’s also featured as an editor’s pick on Longreads and in the Nature Briefing newsletter.
- July – Under Desert Skies acknowledged in media surrounding Apollo 11’s 50th anniversary, such as this post from the University of Arizona Special Collections and this video from Active Galactic’s YouTube channel
- July – Presentations hosted by Flandrau Planetarium, in Tucson, AZ and State of Arizona Authors Series in Phoenix, AZ about Under Desert Skies
- May – Under Desert Skies listed on this summer reading challenge list
- May – “A Gathering of Elk” is named on this list of Best Shortform Science Writing
- April – My radio story “Can Beer Help Save the Verde River?” wins a regional Murrow Award for Excellence in Writing
2018
- Dec – April Brown interviews me for her interactive online textbook “Perspective: An Introduction to Journalism.”
- Dec – I’m featured as the “Alumni of the Month” in the Southern Arizona Science & Engineering Fair newsletter.
- May 24 – Listen to me discuss science communication on a local Flagstaff radio show, This Is The Colorado Plateau
- March 28 – I’m mentioned among this list of women writing the west, written by Sarah Boon on Literary Hub.
- Jan 11 – Mythical River mentioned in NAU News
- Jan – Mythical River chosen for One Book Yuma for 2018. See this article in the Yuma Sun (subscription required) or read about it in Yuma News Now.
2017
Fall 2017 – Western American Literature reviews Mythical River (print only). Reviewer Hal Crimmel writes that “the author’s gift for storytelling, her delightful turns of phrase, well- researched histories, and updates to ongoing controversies make the book a most enjoyable, worthwhile, and— not least of all— hopeful read.”- July/August 2017 – Edible Baja Arizona reviews Mythical River. Reviewer Marguerite Happe says that “Sevigny’s deeply rooted love for the Sonoran Desert pulses through every page … Her prose is abundantly graceful.”
- June 18, 2017 – C-SPAN Book TV aired this interview about Under Desert Skies
- May 2017 – Arizona Daily Sun names Mythical River as a summer read
- March 2017 – Review of Mythical River published in Natural Resources Journal
- February 2017 – Mythical River named a “Nature Book of Uncommon Merit” and medal finalist by the John Burroughs Association.
- January 5, 2017 – Mythical River nominated for a Viola Award for Excellence in Storytelling by the Flagstaff Arts Council.
- January 4, 2017 – I discuss science and writing on the Bill Buckmaster Show.
- January, 2017 – I’m awarded a 2017 Artist Research and Development Grant, and the Bill Desmond Writing Award, to support work on my next book project.
2016
December 2016 – Mythical River named top pick for Southwest Books of the Year, and Under Desert Skies nominated. See the full list or read an article here.- Summer/Fall 2016 – Orion magazine reviews Mythical River
- September 2016 – Under Desert Skies is a finalist for the 2016 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards, in the history category.
- September 2016 – I discuss LPL’s history in the new documentary, OSIRIS-REx: Countdown to Launch, by Arizona Public Media.
- July 13, 2016 – The Flinn Foundation features my career and new books in this article.
- June 10, 2016 – KNAU interviews me about Mythical River. Listen here.
- June 2, 2016 – Tucson Weekly publishes an excerpt of Under Desert Skies as its cover story. Read it here.
- May 18, 2016 – Daniel Stolte of UA Communications publishes interview about Under Desert Skies: The Book on the Birthplace of Planetary Science
- May 13, 2016 – NPR’s Here and Now plays my story on building a better bionic leg
- May 4, 2016 – Sara Hammond of Arizona Public Media reports on Under Desert Skies: Book Chronicles History of Planetary Science in Tucson
- May 2, 2016 – Jeff Foust reviews Under Desert Skies in The Space Review
- May 1, 2016 – Fresh Fiction reviews Mythical River
- April 30, 2016 – Edible Baja article A River’s Return wins first place for environmental/science writing from the Arizona Press Club
- April 25, 2016 – UA Special Collections hosts panel on Under Desert Skies. Watch the video.
- April 2016 – Video features Under Desert Skies (scroll down to watch)
- April 2016 – The National Association of Science Writers features Mythical River and Under Desert Skies in their April issue
- March 9, 2016 – Tom Beal reports on Under Desert Skies and The Sonoran Desert: A Literary Field Guide for the Arizona Daily Star: Science City at the Festival of Books
2015
- April 2015 – I’m awarded the Ellen Meloy Grant for Desert Writers to support work on Mythical River
2014
- July 14, 2014 – Ken Belson quotes me in his New York Times article on salt cedar
Melissa L. Sevigny 