SEJ Member Spotlight: McKay Jenkins

McKay Jenkins has been writing about people and the natural world for 25 years. He is the author of What’s Gotten Into Us: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World (Random House, 2011), which chronicles his investigation into the myriad synthetic chemicals we encounter in our daily lives, and the growing body of evidence about the harm these chemicals do to our bodies and the environment.

His numerous other books include The White Death: Tragedy and Heroism in an Avalanche Zone (Random House, 2000), the true story of five young mountaineers who, after setting out to make the first winter ascent of the highest peak in Montana’s Glacier National Park, were killed in a massive avalanche that led to one of the country’s largest search and rescue missions.

McKay holds degrees from Amherst, Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, and Princeton, where he received a PhD in English. A former staff writer for the Atlanta Constitution, he has also written for Outside, Orion, The New Republic, and many other publications.

McKay is currently the Cornelius Tilghman Professor of English, Journalism and Environmental Humanities at the University of Delaware, where he has won the Excellence in Teaching Award.

Listen to McKay's recent radio podcast on harmful chemicals, and see his recent print piece on suburban sprawl that ran on UrbaniteBaltimore.com.
"9 Everyday Chemicals To Avoid," Green Living, Spring 2012, by Mara Gorman for USA TODAY. Includes Q&A with What’s Gotten Into Us author McKay Jenkins.