A witty, nocturnal, occasionally profane writer whose sharp, bright takes on a variety of subjects prove invariably enlightening. Rare is the Schulz piece that lacks a compelling historical perspective or incisive literary or scientific reference. She has a gratifying way of making readers feel smart and happy, deftly concealing diamond-hard information inside velvety anecdotes. She also possesses a gift for seeming just as surprised, bemused and injured as her readers by the cuts this information makes when unsheathed—a sort of genius capacity for comedy and empathy, no matter the gravity of her subject.
She has written for Foreign Policy, The New York Times, The Nation and Freakonomics.com, among many others. Her excellent 2010 book is Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error