Frank Close on the nuclear age, physics' forgotten figures and writing for a general audience

About this episode

Frank Close discusses the challenges of writing about physics for a lay audience and his fascination with the history of nuclear weapons.

In an episode recorded live at EA Festival, Simon and Rachel speak with the science writer Frank Close. Frank is emeritus professor of theoretical physics at the University of Oxford and is the only professional scientist to have won the Association of British Science Writers Prize on three occasions. His 22 books include "The Cosmic Onion", "Trinity" and "Elusive". Frank is also a fellow of the Royal Society and winner of their Michael Faraday Prize for excellence in science communication. We spoke to Frank about the challenges of writing about physics for a lay audience, his fascination with the history of nuclear weapons, and his latest book, "Destroyer of Worlds". Alongside listening to us in audio as usual, the podcast is now available on video. You can check us out on YouTube under Always Take Notes. We’ve made another update for those ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠who support the podcast on the crowdfunding site Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We’ve added 40 pages of new material to the package of successful article pitches that goes to anyone who supports the show with $5 per month or more, including new pitches to the New York Times, the Washington Post and the BBC. The whole compendium now runs to a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Simon, Rachel

Guest: Frank Close

Topics covered

• nuclear age
• physics
• science communication
• writing for a general audience

Keywords

• theoretical physics
• nuclear weapons
• science writer
• books

Sponsors

Scrivener

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Scrivener

Books & works: the Association of British Science Writers Prize, The Cosmic Onion, Trinity, Elusive, Michael Faraday Prize, Destroyer of Worlds, Always Take Notes, Take Notes: Advice From Some Of The World’s Greatest

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