I report on strange stories unfolding at the intersection of science, tech, and politics. For many years, I was a contributing writer for the NY Times Sunday Review. My 2020 NY Times article about the secret history of the rape kit was optioned by HBO; I’m now adapting the article into a book for Pantheon/Random House.
Books
I’ve published eleven books. Most recent: Inventology, which was optioned by producer Adam Neuhaus for adaption into a TV show and podcast. Other books include The First Man-Made Man, a study of the transgender pioneer Michael Dillon.
I’ve been awarded several literary prizes including an NEA fellowship. In the 90s, I was shortlisted for the Orange Prize — this photo comes from a PR shot from a London trip for the Orange Prize festivities.
Literary adventures
I’ve been lucky enough to speak at lots of literary events (including this one, a Grub St. gala). I’ve won numerous awards including an NEA fellowship, a Smithsonian fellowship, and two Massachusetts Cultural Council fellowships.
MIT fellow
Thanks to the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT I spent a year indulging my passion for microbiology. Here’s a photo from a fellowship field trip.
Zine-ster
I got my start a long time ago as a zine publisher, with my home-made publication Pagan’s Head. It eventually became a book. Not sure why, but someone has made a Wiki page about this.
Village Voice…
… is where I grew up. Working at the newspaper in my early 20s, I learned how to fact-check, copy edit, write reviews and report out stories. I sometimes also subbed in as the receptionist — a job that involved chatting with Abbie Hoffman as he waited to see Nat Hentoff.
Literary Agent
David McCormick
37 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-691-9726
Film Agent
Anonymous Content, Kassie Evashevski
(212) 621-3098, kassie@anonymouscontent.com
Speaking Agency
The Leigh Bureau
(908) 253-8600
speakerinfo@leighbureau.com
Email Pagan — paganken at gmail