NaNoWriMo - Day 9

An ode to my time at Inverse.

Yesterday I was laid off from my staff writer job at the website Inverse after almost 3 years. I’ve barreled through many emotions since then. Bustle Digital Group isn’t a perfect company, nor is Inverse a perfect publication. But I consider myself very lucky to have had the experience that I did, so I want to share some of the good parts.

I started at Inverse in June 2021 as an intern. I was completing my Masters in journalism at NYU’s Science Health and Environmental Reporting Program, and as part of our coursework everyone needed summer and fall internships. This was my professional introduction to the world of science journalism.

I started working under Claire Cameron. With her supervision, I began writing several stories a week, often covering single studies about biology, archaeology, astronomy, and many other fascinating subjects. In my grad school classes, we had weeks to pull together stories. Now, I was drilling my skills, pushing myself to report and write articles in a day or two.

The internship finished in August, but after I graduated in December I learned that Inverse was hiring a new staff writer, and Claire encouraged me to apply. I started working there in January of 2022, along with my editor Claire Maldarelli.

During my time at Inverse I published over 450 stories. I wrote the regular columns Pet Science, Detox, Longevity Hacks, and Reel Science. I’ve lost track of how many people I’ve interviewed. One of my favorite interviews was with a bat scientist over Zoom who at the end of our conversation pulled a live bat out of her shirt pocket who had been napping the entire time. I built a rapport with different doctors, scientists, researchers, and science communicators.

I did some journalism I’m proud of. I published my first feature on male contraceptives. Here’s another one on contraceptives and menstruation. Here’s one on the timeline of cognitive decline, and one about whether our protein obsession is healthy. I also wrote this story about star-nosed moles and aliens and what if we all had Barbie feet. I also received my first piece of hate mail, and witnessed as many social media users misunderstood my headline and insulted me in the comments likely without reading the story.

I made mistakes, some of which were corrected with a simple amendment to my articles and some with my behavior over time. I learned that doing your best every day doesn’t mean doing your all-time best every day. I learned that perfect first drafts don’t exist. I learned that my editor’s whole job is to make my work better, which is why I don’t need to file perfect drafts.

My then-coworker-now-dear-friend Molly Glick invited me to a Hearst Union rally, which is how I got involved in the union effort for Inverse and other brands across Bustle Digital Group to fight for a contract. We won it in April 2023, shortly after which Molly and a number of other folks got laid off. I became a shop steward to ensure that our contract would continue to be enforced after our fight. Because of that contract I have severance, and have had employer-sponsored health insurance all year.

I also met, worked alongside, and befriended John Wenz, Tara Yarlagadda, Jenn Walter, Doris Urrutia, Miriam Fauzia, and Kiona Smith. I’ve been incredibly fortunate that working at Inverse has introduced me to good people and journalists. I had the opportunity to report interesting and meaningful stories, speak with intriguing people who are much smarter than me, and write every day.

I maintain that this was the best possible job for me straight out of journalism school. I had my first professional media platform but also space to take risks and make mistakes. It wasn’t perfect — what job is? — but it was my first professional niche. Working with Claire Maldarelli and Tyghe Trimble has made me a better journalist, and I will miss working with them.

It was a good run!