Brown writes about things that interest and move her, from a Ho-Chunk bison roundup to child care to a high school for pregnant teens. Her features, reviews, and articles appear in the New York Times Magazine, the New York Times Science section, Glamour, Ms., the Chicago Tribune, Parents, and other newspapers and magazines, including Wisconsin Trails, where she is editor in chief.

Recent articles:

One Spoonful at a Time
On a sweltering evening in July of last year, I sat at the end of my daughter Kitty’s bed, holding a milkshake made from a cup of Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream and a cup of whole milk. Kitty (the pet name we’ve used since she was a baby) shivered, wrapped in a thick quilt. “Here’s your milkshake,” I said, aiming for a tone that was friendly but firm, a tone that would make her reach for the glass and begin drinking. Six-hundred ninety calories — that’s what this milkshake represented to me . . .
Published in the New York Times, 11/26/06

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Cases: The Merck Manual, A Hypochondriac’s Bible
A copy of The Merck Manual of Medical Information has lived on my night table for over 25 years. Sometimes the thick red book tops the bedside pile; other times it’s buried under a stack of newer obsessions. But it’s always within easy reach for emergencies, bouts of insomnia . . .
Published in the New York Times, 11/15/05

To read more of this article, visit nytimes.com (paid subscription required) or contact the author at hnbrown@tds.net.

The Other Brain, the One With Butterflies, Also Deals With Many Woes
Two brains are better than one. At least that is the rationale for the close — sometimes too close — relationship between the human body’s two brains, the one at the top of the spinal cord and the hidden but powerful brain in the gut known as the enteric nervous system.
Published in the New York Times, 8/23/05

To read more of this article, visit nytimes.com (1-time free registration required) or contact the author at hnbrown@tds.net.

The Child Who Would Not Speak A Word
Christine Stanley will never forget the call. Two weeks after her daughter Emily started kindergarten, the teacher phoned in a panic. Emily would not color, sing or participate in any classroom activities; in fact, she would not say a word to anyone.
It was not the first time Christine had received such a call. Emily had not talked at preschool, either. She did not make eye contact with store clerks or talk to nurses at the pediatrician’s office. She ran off the playground if another child approached.
Published in the New York Times, 4/12/05.

To read more of this article, visit nytimes.com (1-time free registration required) or contact the author at hnbrown@tds.net.