Sarah Boon

Sarah Boon: Bridging Science, Storytelling, and the Human Experience

From Glaciers to Bylines: A Career Forged in Nature’s Crucible

We’ve followed Sarah Boon’s two-decade journey from tenured geoscientist to award-winning environmental writer with fascination. Her academic foundation in watershed hydrology (PhD, University of Western Ontario) informs every piece she crafts, whether dissecting climate literature or chronicling mental health struggles in remote field camps. This rare dual expertise – rigorous scientific training paired with narrative flair – makes her work indispensable for understanding humanity’s complex relationship with nature.

Signature Works: Three Pillars of Impactful Journalism

• The Beast in Me: How Mental Illness Changed My Outdoor Life—and What I Did About It

This raw 2025 memoir-essay hybrid for REI’s Uncommon Path redefined outdoor writing. Boon juxtaposes her glacial research with bipolar disorder struggles, using melting ice formations as metaphor and measurement. Her unflinching account of conducting field work during manic episodes – including the harrowing Hilda Glacier expedition where she nearly succumbed to hypothermia – sparked industry-wide conversations about mental health protocols in wilderness science. The piece’s layered structure, alternating between scientific data and personal journals, has become a template for experiential environmental writing.

• 6 Essential Texts of Climate Change Written By Women

Boon’s 2019 Lit Hub curation challenged the male-dominated climate canon by highlighting works from Robin Wall Kimmerer to Elizabeth Kolbert. What elevates this listicle is her “climate lens” analysis framework – evaluating each text through metrics like intergenerational equity and embodied knowledge. Her inclusion of Métis poet Marilyn Dumont’s glacier elegies alongside IPCC reports exemplifies the interdisciplinary approach that’s become her trademark.

• In Review: Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life

This 2024 Earth Island Journal critique of Ferris Jabr’s work showcases Boon’s analytical rigor. She dissects the book’s Gaia hypothesis revival through hydrological cycles, questioning anthropocentric narratives while celebrating Jabr’s microbial storytelling. The review’s standout contribution is its “lithic literacy” metric – a new framework for assessing environmental writing’s geological consciousness.

Pitching Priorities: Where Science Meets Soul

1. Human-Scale Climate Stories

Boon prioritizes narratives where environmental shifts manifest through individual experiences. Her REI piece on glacial retreat used a researcher’s field notes to personify climate data. Successful pitches should mirror this approach – think permafrost scientists tracking methane bubbles through Inuit fishing patterns, or wildfire ecologists collaborating with Indigenous burn practitioners.

2. Mental Health in Extreme Environments

With her groundbreaking work on bipolar disorder in field science, Boon seeks stories exploring psychology’s role in outdoor professions. Pitch case studies like avalanche forecasters developing trauma protocols, or Antarctic researchers using VR therapy. Emphasize both clinical insights and cultural shifts within outdoor communities.

3. Feminist Reinterpretations of Nature

Boon’s Lit Hub listicle exemplifies her interest in gender-nuanced environmentalism. She’s particularly drawn to projects reclaiming historical female naturalists or examining how climate policies impact women differently. A recent successful pitch analyzed matrilineal seed-saving networks in drought zones.

4. Hydro-Literary Hybrids

Given her hydrology background, Boon champions water-centric narratives that blend technical and lyrical elements. Think piece possibilities: profile a dam removal project through engineers’ equations and salmon DNA analysis, or explore cloud seeding’s cultural implications in arid regions.

5. Arctic/Mountain Ecosystems in Transition

Boon’s glacial research makes her particularly receptive to stories from cryosphere regions. She favors multispecies approaches – a recent pitch she accepted examined how receding Alaskan glaciers are altering both salmon runs and Tlingit coming-of-age rituals.

Awards and Recognition

“Boon’s work reminds us that every environmental datum contains human heartbeat.” – Royal Canadian Geographical Society Fellowship Citation

• 2024 Grantham Prize Finalist: Recognized for exceptional environmental reporting, particularly her series linking boreal forest fires to urban mental health crises. The jury noted her “innovative use of hydrological models as narrative devices.”
• 2023 Science Borealis Lifetime Achievement Award: Honored for co-founding Canada’s premier science communication network and mentoring 150+ early-career writers. Her legacy includes developing the “Three Ice Cores” editing framework for complex science stories.
• 2022 National Magazine Award (Personal Journalism): Won for a Catapult essay about conducting watershed surveys during her father’s terminal illness. The piece’s innovative structure – alternating water quality metrics with hospice care timelines – has been studied in journalism programs nationwide.