Sarah Durn's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

Sarah Durn

Sarah Durn is an associate editor at Atlas Obscura. Previously, she worked at Atlas as the 2021-22 editorial fellow. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, Sarah has also written for National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Gizmodo, among others. Her first book, The Beginner's Guide to Alchemy, was published by Callisto and Rockridge Press in May 2020. Before Atlas, Sarah worked as Culture Trip's New Orleans writer, where she wrote and edited pieces about her adopted home.
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Beyond her journalism work, Sarah is also a professional film and TV actor. She can be seen on Where The Crawdads Sing, NBC’s Chicago PD, and Ava Duvernay's Queen Sugar, among others.
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When not typing away at her computer, Sarah can often be found on the trails in City Park listening to her favorite audiobook (something by Sophia Money-Coutts) or podcast (interviews with Dolly Alderton). ⁣
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Say hi at sarah.durn@atlasobscura.com⁣ or on Twitter @sarah_durn

sarahdurn.com

2021
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The Multicultural Legacy of Ukraine’s Forgotten Region

Remnants of the nation’s diverse history are littered throughout the historical region known as Galicia.

women empowerment

14 Women Activists Whose Names You Should Know

These feminist editors, swimming suffragists, and renegade cooks reshaped the world.

The Forgotten Female Revolutionaries Behind Latin American Independence

Perhaps fiercest of all was Manuela Sáenz—spy, archivist, prankster, and companion of Simón Bolívar.

Could 'Monsters' Exist in the Modern World?

Cryptozoologist Richard Freeman on why we should still believe in unseen animals.

February 28, 2022

Sold: A $44,000 Doghouse With a Hole in Its Roof

Rocky's home was struck by a rare meteorite, but don't worry, he's okay.

February 25, 2022

The World Has Two New Flying Dinosaurs

Or at least it used to. What can these recently identified dino-birds teach us about extinction?

February 18, 2022

The Most Lavish Mesopotamian Tomb Ever Found Belongs to a Woman

And her clothing tells an important story, says archeologist Rita Wright.

February 10, 2022

The Tricky Business of Saving a Baby Beluga

For the first time, scientists were able to save a young whale stranded in Cook Inlet. What should happen next?

February 7, 2022

How Do You Care for One of the World's Oldest Aquarium Fish?

It requires lots of figs and belly rubs to keep Methuselah happy and healthy.

February 1, 2022

Is This $88 Portrait the Work of a 17th-Century Flemish Master?

Science and historical research say….maybe.

January 28, 2022

The Forgotten Women Who Ruled the Medieval Middle East

A new book tells the tales of the queens of Jerusalem.

January 25, 2022

Will the Gates of Hell Be Closed Forever?

Turkmenistan’s Darvaza gas crater has been on fire for decades. The inferno may finally be extinguished.

January 19, 2022

Inside the Years-Long, International Effort to Save One Tiny Mexican Fish

Scientists and schoolchildren worked together to bring the tequila fish back from extinction.

January 13, 2022

Women Plundered and Swashbuckled With the Best (and Worst) of Them

The new book "Pirate Women" uncovers the stories of the women who sailed their way into history, cutlass in hand.

January 4, 2022

the year in wonder 2021

A Year in Wacky History, from Renaissance “Hell Banquets” to Georgia’s Muddy Spring Rites

Our favorite history stories inspire your sense of wonder.

December 30, 2021

the year in wonder 2021

Darwin’s Squeaky Beans and 139 Victorian Skulls: Our Favorite 2021 ‘Secret Lives of Museums’ Stories

Let’s sneak into where museum visitors can’t.

December 28, 2021

the year in wonder 2021

From Cambodia’s Hungry Ghosts to Assam’s Mobile Theaters, Our Favorite Indigenous Stories of 2021

Perseverance and ingenuity from around the world.

December 22, 2021

Remembering the Remarkable Queens Who Ruled Ancient Nubia

Scholar Solange Ashby is uncovering the once-revered, now little-remembered female leaders of the Kushite kingdoms.

December 15, 2021

The Dark History of Hawai‘i’s Iconic Hand Gesture

The ‘shaka’ or ‘hang loose’ gesture likely originated from island plantations’ brutal working conditions.

December 14, 2021

small businesses

To Join This Community of People Who Speak to the Dead, Prepare to Be Tested

Think you have what it takes to be a spiritual medium in Lily Dale?

December 7, 2021

Excavating the Hawaiian History of Kaua‘i’s ‘Russian’ Fort

A rich local history has long been overshadowed by a few months under a Russian flag.

November 30, 2021

The Secret History of Panamá’s Most Colorful Clothes

In Guna Yala, indigenous women sew stories of legend, revolution, and even Minnie Mouse into the elaborate textiles known as molas.

November 17, 2021

How Scholars Cracked a Medieval Alchemist’s Secret Code

Written in a puzzling Latin cipher, it contains his formula for eternal life.

November 11, 2021

To Build an 18th-Century Ship, Shipwrights Had to Remaster a Lost Craft

It took a lot of careful planning to once again bend wood with giant steam boxes.

November 9, 2021