Gina Bari Kolata

I’m a senior medical writer for the New York Times and the author of nine books and editor of three. I’ve given talks across the nation and in Europe and Asia and taught a science writing seminar at Princeton University. I have been on just about every major news and radio show including the morning news shows, Sixty Minutes, Charlie Rose, Steven Colbert, Fresh Air and most other NPR talk shows. I have won numerous prizes and was a Pulitzer finalist twice. And, strangely enough, I am also a Kentucky Colonel, like Colonel Sanders. But all that sounds like a resume, and what really matters of course is who am I and what motivates me and what do I care about? I like to think I am much more than my job, although my Times work is one of my passions. I have an incredible family and wonderful friends that I cherish. I love distance running – I’ve run five marathons – and road cycling. I knit and I cook. I love the ocean and cannot go through a summer without spending time at the beach. But my favorite seasons are summer and fall. I know, you think the next thing I will tell you is that I like pina coladas and walking in the rain. Actually, those are two things I do not like. But what I do like, what I turn to for sheer pleasure, is literary fiction. And when I decide to write a book, I latch onto the story. My books are meant to engage you, as they engage me. I want you to care about the narrative and the characters as much as I do. I want them to be page turners, but true, absolutely factual. And I want them to be rich with ethical and social issues so that you come away haunted by what you have just read.