Melissa Stewart: Writing is Her Nature

AMC Outdoors, December 2004

Ask Melissa Stewart what’s on her mind, and the answer might surprise you: it’s dinosaur urine. Oh, and also vomit and dung.

What kind of person ponders such topics? The kind who’s penned more than 50 children’s science books. Stewart, who parlayed a biology degree into a writing career, was inspired to write about fossilized feces by a question from a third-grader. She says idle wonderings—her own and others’—have inspired many of her books, whose topics range from atoms to zebras.

The prolific author, a former textbook editor, works under the name Honeybee Productions, a nod to the Greek translation of her name. When not researching or writing books, she also contributes to magazines including National Geographic World and Natural New England; speaks at schools; and teaches local writing courses.

“People say, ‘You’ve written this many books, you must be rich!’” she reports. “Let me tell you, I’m not. But I love what I do. I can live where I want to, and set my own schedule.”

Plus there’s all that cool stuff to investigate. “One of the great things about being a science writer is you’re always learning,” says Stewart, whose work has been recommended by the National Science Teachers Association. “You can look in-depth at volcanoes one week and wetlands the next.”

Stewart, 35, who has five nieces and nephews but “no children yet,” grew up in western Massachusetts and credits her father with instilling her love of nature. Today she spends her spare time hiking, canoeing, and cross-country skiing with her husband—and fellow AMC member—Gerard Fairley. And every outing seems to provide the kernel for another book.

“Children spend so much time in front of the TV and the computer,” Stewart says. “I want to encourage them to go outdoors, and to be curious. If one of my books inspires someone to take a closer look at a butterfly, or go find a bird’s nest, then my job is done.”

To learn more, visit www.melissa-stewart.com.