Kathryn Schulz

Kathryn Schulz is an American journalist and author acclaimed for her insightful explorations of human fallibility, grief, and joy. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2016 for a reflective essay on the seismic risks in the Pacific Northwest. Schulz is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of the bestselling books Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error and the memoir Lost & Found.

Early life and education

Kathryn Schulz was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in a suburb of the city. She developed an early interest in writing and literature, which she pursued at Brown University, graduating with a degree in history. Her academic journey continued at the University of Oxford, where she was a Marshall Scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, earning a master's degree in English literature. This formative period, immersed in the works of writers and philosophers, deeply influenced her later analytical and narrative style.

Career

Schulz began her career as an editor and fact-checker at The Nation magazine. She later worked as a book critic for New York magazine and contributed to numerous prestigious publications including The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and The Boston Globe. In 2015, she joined the staff of The New Yorker, where her long-form journalism and "The Talk of the Town" pieces have covered a wide range of subjects from environmental science and technology to personal essays. Her reporting often synthesizes complex ideas from fields like psychology, geology, and philosophy for a broad audience.

Writing and publications

Schulz's first book, Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error (2010), is a celebrated work of nonfiction that examines the philosophy, psychology, and necessity of human error. It was praised by critics in outlets like The Washington Post and The Guardian and led to a popular TED Talk. Her second book, Lost & Found (2021), is a memoir that weaves together the story of meeting her partner, the writer C. J. Hauser, and the illness and death of her father. The book, which explores themes of love and grief, was named a best book of the year by publications including The New York Times and NPR. Her Pulitzer-winning essay, "The Really Big One," published in The New Yorker, detailed the catastrophic earthquake threat posed by the Cascadia subduction zone.

Awards and recognition

In 2016, Kathryn Schulz received the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for her article "The Really Big One." The same essay also won a National Magazine Award for Feature Writing. Her first book, Being Wrong, was recognized as one of the best books of the year by The Economist and The Christian Science Monitor. She has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and her work has been anthologized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing and The Best American Travel Writing series. Schulz has also been a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship for general nonfiction.

Personal life

Kathryn Schulz lives in Hudson Valley with her partner, the author C. J. Hauser. Her writing on personal loss and family, particularly in Lost & Found, details her relationship with her late father, a lawyer and World War II historian, and her mother, a painter. She is an avid walker and naturalist, interests that frequently inform her writing about the environment and place. Schulz is also a frequent speaker at literary festivals and universities, including events at the 92nd Street Y and the Chautauqua Institution.

Category:American journalists Category:American non-fiction writers Category:Pulitzer Prize winners Category:Brown University alumni Category:University of Oxford alumni Category:1974 births Category:Living people