Michael Taylor on Muck Rack

Michael Taylor

Verified
Arkansas
As seen in: The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, PBS, WIRED Magazine, SFGate, Sports Illustrated, Chron, Flipboard, Smithsonian Magazine, Constant Contact and
Covers:  Science, the environment, books and authors, outdoor adventure, travel, and -- more than any other journalist -- caves and caving.
Doesn't Cover: I'm curious about the world: If it's a good story, I'll cover most anything.
Writing about caves and books, teaching journalism, rocking out. muckrack.com/michael-taylor-32

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Michael Taylor’s Biography

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Michael Ray Taylor is the author of several nonfiction books, including the Hidden Nature: Wild Southern Caves, Cave Passages, Dark Life, Caves: Exploring Hidden Realms, and The Cat Manual (a humorous ebook). He is coauthor of a textbook, Creating Comics as Journalism, Memoir and Nonfiction.

As a journalist, Mike has written about science, exploration, and the environment for Smithsonian, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Houston Chronicle, Wired, Outside, Reader’s Digest, Audubon, and ma…

Michael Taylor’s Journalist Portfolio

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Opinion | A Ray of Hope in a Slimy Southern Cave

Opinion | A Ray of Hope in a Slimy Southern Cave

Opinion Residents in the South are coming together to protect their underground ecosystems. The entrance to a…

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Hidden Names, Hidden Stories

Hidden Names, Hidden Stories

I stood 200 feet below the Kentucky countryside, looking at three lines of graffiti written in pencil on the …

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Opinion | Fighting to Save America's Bats (Published 2018)

Opinion | Fighting to Save America's Bats (Published 2018)

Op-Ed Contributor Mr. Taylor is the author of several books on caves. Four scientists in Tyvek suits and rubb…

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Sympathy for the Devil (Almost)

Sympathy for the Devil (Almost)

By Michael Ray Taylor Henderson State University On Nov. 8, after a lengthy investigation, the Houston Chroni…

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Ghosts of Nashville

Ghosts of Nashville

When a writer lands an unexpected chance to interview a musical hero like John Prine-creator of such timeless…

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Spenser Hits 50

Spenser Hits 50

Robert B. Parker's Spenser is the Energizer Bunny of detective fiction: Not only does he keep going and going…

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Articles

Is Christian Aid just Oxfam with hymns? This book suggests it might be

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By Michael Taylor Verified, Pat Finlow
| Christianity Magazine Verified
A new book marking Christian Aid’s 80th anniversary offers valuable insights into the charity’s pioneering approach to poverty. But sadly it fails to explain how faith makes it distinctive from secular development agencies, says our reviewer “Aren’t you just Oxfam with hymns?” This question was posed to Michael Taylor when he was director of Christian Aid in the late 1980s and illustrates a common and sadly persistent misunderstanding about the work of faith-based agencies.
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Philadelphia Weather: Foggy Morning, Sunny and 71°F Today

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By Michael Taylor Verified
| Flipboard
Everyone’s Talking About Duchamp. These 5 Artists Are the Ones to Listen To. It is said that artists are the ones to decide which of their peers and predecessors go down in history. Most memorable are the works that influence …
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The Green Issue 2026: Return of the Quarries ... or Maybe Not

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By Michael Taylor Verified
| Nashville Scene Verified
Clouse Hill Sand Quarry A decision in February by the Tennessee Supreme Court gutted a state law informally called the County Powers Act (CPA), which Grundy County used to shut down a sand quarry in 2022. The law, amended 25 years ago to let rural counties with no zoning ordinances control “nuisances,” had been used to go after not only quarries, but also adult entertainment superstores, opioid-dispensing pain centers and homeless encampments.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

Freelance assignments to McCall's magazine.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Throughout college and into grad school, when I bought an early Compaq that looked like a sewing machine.

How is social media changing news?

By killing great legacy publications and threatening facts. On the plus side, it seems to have breathed new life into long-form.
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