Dementia affects millions of people and their families around the world. While working on this piece, which appears in the March 2024 issue of National Geographic, one overarching question drove my reporting: can people diagnosed with the condition be cared for with dignity and grace? The answer is yes. It was a privilege to interview the visionaries—family members, medical experts, entrepreneurs, architects, designers, and so many others—who are striving to create spaces where people with dementia can live authentic and joyful lives. Kudos to photographer Isadora Kosofsky for her compassionate and beautiful images, which drove this project. Much gratitude to Rachel Hartigan at National Geographic for seeing it through. And thank you to everyone who shared their insights.
Books, Words, Poetry
Such an honor to participate in the 2022 Boston Book Festival, which took place on a beautiful fall day and in person for the first time in two years. An incredible mix of authors and readers. And how lucky was I to be paired on stage with Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky? In our presentation, titled “True Story: Prodigies, Poets, and Perseverance,” we talked about creativity, imagination, writing, words, poetry, serendipity, success, failure, and so much more. Can’t wait to read Pinsky’s new book, Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet. With thanks to our moderator, James Bennett II, and much gratitude to BBF for the invitation.
Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, Claudia Kalb, James Bennett II
Book Swap! Robert Pinsky and Me
Always such a treat to meet readers!
Serendipity. It's not just luck!
Loved writing about serendipity for the Ideas section of the Sunday Boston Globe. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a thing for serendipity — the unpredictable connection or discovery that spurs something new. I have come to think of serendipity as luck’s whimsical sidekick. Luck befalls us in bouts of good (you win the raffle at work) and bad (a deer darts in front of your car). Serendipity is something we fashion from a chance event — a happy accident pulsating with possibility. My big takeaway: be open to new experiences. Here’s a link to the piece: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/10/19/opinion/yes-you-can-cultivate-serendipity/
Shirley Temple Black’s Remarkable Second Act as a Diplomat
In June 1972, Shirley Temple Black took on one of the biggest roles of her life: US delegate to the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. June 2022 marks 50 years since Black, then 44, joined delegates from around the world in Stockholm to address the growing crisis of global pollution. Most people remember Shirley Temple as a child star—America’s beloved antidote to the Great Depression. But she was so much more. In an exclusive excerpt from Black’s unpublished autobiography—provided to me by her children, Charlie Black and Susan Falaschi—Black reflects on what it was like to become a stateswoman, and how she navigated one of the greatest threats to the planet. I wrote about Black’s revelations and the remarkable contributions she made to diplomacy in the June 2022 issue of Smithsonian. Read the piece online HERE.
All Hail the Late Bloomers
My latest piece, published in the Sunday Boston Globe, explores the science and psychology of midlifers and late bloomers. There’s plenty of good news here. The traditional view is that as you get older, your chances of a breakthrough start to dim. “But what we’re saying is that’s actually not true,” says Northwestern University’s Dashun Wang, one of the researchers I interviewed. “Your best work may be still ahead of you.” Read the piece online HERE.
Feature Stories about Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Mark Roget, and Alexander Fleming
There’s so much to explore in the journeys of the individuals I profile in Spark. In newly published stories in National Geographic, Smithsonian and Scientific American, I delve into extraordinary moments in the the lives of Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Mark Roget, and Alexander Fleming. My story in National Geographic looks at Ma’s Bach Project and the way he uses music to advance environmental causes around the globe. In Smithsonian, I write about a trip that Roget took to the continent at the age of 23—decades before he compiled his famed thesaurus—and his subsequent escape from Napoleon’s dragnet. And for Scientific American, I spotlight Alexander Fleming’s first major discovery (hint: It wasn’t penicillin) and the importance of serendipity in science. Each one details experiences and events that I find both surprising and remarkable. Please read!
Book Launch Event for SPARK!
I’m thrilled to be launching Spark in my first virtual book event, hosted by Politics & Prose, the great indie book store in DC. All are invited. Please click HERE to register. Note that you must go to the “Click Here” to join the Live! event” button in advance to provide your email address so that you will receive the link. If free tickets are sold out, consider making a “Pay What You Want” donation in any amount (even $1) to support Politics & Prose! It’ll be fun. Please join!
New Book! Spark: How Genius Ignites, From Child Prodigies to Late Bloomers
I’m delighted to announce the publication of my new book: Spark: How Genius Ignites, From Child Prodigies to Late Bloomers, which makes its debut on April 27, 2021. The book explores moments of inspiration in the lives of 13 remarkable individuals, from Pablo Picasso and Isaac Newton to Julia Child, Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Yo-Yo Ma.
Through a mix of biography, psychology, and brain science, I explore several overarching questions: What are the origins of genius? How do luck, failure, personality, and serendipity play into the arc of discovery? And why do some people reach extraordinary creative heights early in life while others achieve greatness decades later?
As I write in my introduction: My hope is that these profiles will not only illuminate the many junctures at which discovery can happen, but will also inspire those who are still searching for fulfillment.
Huge round of applause to Allison Bruns for her brilliant cover art!
500 Years Later: A Journey Into the Life and Mind of Leonardo da Vinci
May 2, 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death. Today, his legacy endures, inspiring scholars and experts around the world in medicine, science, music and art. Among the many things I discovered: he taught himself Latin; had a great singing voice; and cared more about the creative process than the finished product. An exquisite mind.
Excerpt from my story for National Geographic:
“An inherently curious note-taker and truth-seeker, Leonardo pursued knowledge voraciously. His to-do lists included jottings to “construct glasses to see the moon larger” and “describe the cause of laughter” as he sought answers to a cascade of questions: What’s the distance from the eyebrow to the junction of the lip and the chin? Why are stars visible by night and not by day? How do the branches of a tree compare with the thickness of its trunk? What separates water from air? Where is the soul? What are sneezing, yawning, hunger, thirst, and lust? Although his paintings are far better known, Leonardo’s wealth of manuscripts and drawings lay bare the inner workings of his genius.”
The Science of Genius
My latest work on genius, available on newsstands and via Amazon, teases out the elements that entwine to create a person capable of changing the world: intelligence (not specifically IQ, but all kinds of intelligence), creativity, grit, and luck. Read about familiar giants (Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci) and lesser-knowns who deserve attention (Hypatia and Murasaki Shikibu). Take a Mensa quiz, explore a timeline of incredible minds, and soak in the photography, including spectacular images by Nat Geo photographer Paolo Woods.
Picasso: Restless Brilliance
My exploration of Picasso’s journey to genius—from prodigy to icon—took me from his childhood home in Malaga, Spain to the Musée Picasso in Paris. I visited Plaza de la Merced, where a young Picasso etched his first drawings in the dust; watched as his painting, “Femme Accroupie (Jacqueline)” sold for $32.5 million at a Christie’s auction in New York City; and had the privilege of interviewing Picasso’s son and several of his grandchildren. Excerpt: “How does a person evolve from newborn to mastermind? How can a single soul redefine the way we see? Picasso the man was messy. He loved life at the circus and death at the bullfights. He could be both boisterous and silent, amorous and domineering. But from his beginning as a prodigy to his final years painting musketeers and matadors, Picasso seemed destined for artistic greatness, his journey to genius fixed as firmly as paint on canvas. All the elements were there: a family that cultivated his creative passion, intellectual curiosity and grit, clusters of peers who inspired him, and the good fortune to be born at a time when new ideas in science, literature, and music energized his work and the advent of mass media catapulted him to fame.” Hats off to photographers Paolo Woods and Gabriele Galimberti for their brilliant images. Read the story here.
Paperback Debut Today!
Today is paperback pub day! I'm thrilled that Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History's Great Personalities is fueling important conversations about mental health. Storytelling engages all of us and I've heard from many readers who find themselves identifying with the remarkable individuals featured in the book. Talking openly about our minds and our behaviors chips away at stigma and leads to understanding, acceptance, and healing. Here's to more reading and more dialogue!
National Geographic: Genius!
What makes a genius? Does intelligence matter? How important is luck? Check out the May issue of National Geographic. Pick up a copy or read online here. Best assignment ever!
One-Year Anniversary!
Today, on the one-year publication anniversary of Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder, I'm celebrating all of you wonderful book lovers out there. Thank you for reading, coming to talks & signings, asking questions, and sharing your stories. I have enjoyed meeting every one of you and look forward to many more events and conversations in the months ahead!
