Paula Amann is the ASBMB’s science writer. For more than 25 years, she has made her living wrestling with words, as a promotional writer, journalist and editor. Most recently, she worked for close to seven years as a medical research writer at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which rekindled her love of science. Since 2009, Amann has been offering workshops on plain language writing. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in (Spanish) bilingual education, working briefly as a high school science and math teacher in the Chicago area. At home, Amann is raising a teenager, a beagle–basset and a black cat, along with native plants in her diminutive garden. She is an avid hiker and trained yoga teacher.