Scientists don’t get into science to become writers. But the job demands it. We write, or we try to, because we need to communicate results. To survive. To move up in our career. To advance science. But that’s the problem. Scientists have to do it. And when you have to do something, it can become... Continue Reading →
“Slow” connecting
by Janice Nigro Anyone who knows me, knows I love the subtleties of language. I can spend hours, even years, focusing on a word that seems well, funny to me. Many come from the misuse of words that my international friends will make. It’s not meant to make fun, or funny (as they will say),... Continue Reading →
Easy Reader News 49th Anniversary contest: Counting Cronuts
A bit of luck with a story published in the Easy Reader Beach magazine this summer. Just an adventure in Los Angeles that really started somewhere else in the world. Great fun in seeing a piece in print. Enjoy! P.S. It's the last story in the link... https://easyreadernews.com/49th-anniversary-easy-reader-beach-writing-contest-winners-and-honorable-mentions-2019/
Experience Alor naturally
by Janice Nigro The idea of traveling to Alor was as enchanting to me as finding the field of anemones. The area is remote. Divers go there, but throngs of tourists do not. But I still am a girl who likes flushing toilets, warm showers, and tasty food. I booked a land based trip to... Continue Reading →
The bonus you get from living overseas
by Janice Nigro The idea of living overseas always captivated me. I imagined myself speaking a second language fluently and sharing my life with a man with an accent. I derived this cliché of a fantasy from some combination of movies, National Geographic, my Sicilian background, and Spanish class in 5th grade. I blew an... Continue Reading →
Phishing for scientists 2019: Redirecting the responsibility
by Janice Nigro The history behind "predatory journals" The novel noun "predatory journal," created in German-like fashion in a blog that no longer exists, refers to a specialized internet scam phishing for scientists. Organizers masquerade as online journals, tempting scientists to submit articles for publication in an open access format by promising rigorous review and accelerated publication.... Continue Reading →
Please humor me while I try to learn your language
I didn’t think too hard when the taxi driver in Sorrento (Italy) asked me what I had for dinner. The words just rolled off my tongue. “Pasta ai frutti di mare.” I don’t remember how my travel companions responded. All I remember is what Bartolo the taxi driver said next. “Buon italiano!” “Good Italian!” I... Continue Reading →
Home is where my pasta machine is
by Janice Nigro A plane is that modern vehicle of irony, speeding you through the air at times to areas of the Earth that might still be in the stone age. Or at least into another apparent universe where we don’t understand the language, we don’t look like anyone else, and we don't have the... Continue Reading →
Confessions of a lazy traveler
by Janice Nigro What is the craziest excuse you have ever used for traveling somewhere? I am guessing it wasn’t to play in a rematch for eisstockschiessen. Yes, it was a rematch for eisstockschiessen (an ice game but not curling) that compelled me to travel to Germany in potentially the worst part of winter, for... Continue Reading →
The artist in you: Water&Wood 2019
by Janice Nigro I have been living in Southern California for several years now. I know, I hear a collective “aww” it can’t be that hard to live here-sun, palm trees, and the ocean wilderness right there in front of me. But you always give something up to get something else. In my case, I... Continue Reading →