Daniel Loxton

Daniel Loxton is a Canadian writer, illustrator, and skeptic. He is the Editor of Junior Skeptic magazine, a kids’ science section bound into the Skeptics Society's Skeptic magazine. He writes and illustrates most issues of Junior Skeptic.^[1]

Work

Prior to his involvement with the Skeptics Society, Loxton worked as a professional shepherd along the British Columbia side of the Alaska Panhandle.^[2]

Loxton has published two major essays on skeptical activism "Where Do We Go From Here?"^[3] in 2007, dealing with the focus and direction of the new generation of skepticism, and "What Do I Do Next?"^[4] in 2009, providing ideas and suggestions for individual involvement in the skepticism movement. This Op-Ed was also featured on Skepticality radio show episode #63.^[5]

He was featured in an interview on The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast #194.^[6] He also appeared in an interview on the JREF podcast, For Good Reason in the episode dated February 6, 2010 and on Christopher Brown's Meet the Skeptics! podcast. ^{[7] [8]}

Loxton is the author of a book explaining evolution for young readers, Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came To Be,^[9] which has been nominated for the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Norma Fleck Award for Children's Non-Fiction.^[10] When pitching Evolution to U.S. publishers, Loxton was told "‘Well of course I love it, but we just think it’s a little too hot,’... Which is a strange thing to say about fundamental biology.” Not so in Canada. About writing a children's book on the topic of evolution Luxton states "People forget to see kids as thinking beings, as people who have existential questions that they want answered. They just need the best information available,” he said. “Keep it simple, but make it true.” Evolution has been nominated for the Lane Anderson Award for Canadian science writing.^[11]

Loxton credits Barry Beyerstein for his interest in skepticism. In several interviews Loxton talks about attending a science fiction conference in British Columbia in 1991 and hearing Beyerstein speak on behalf of the BC Skeptics. "He calmly and kindly fielded questions from the audience—and I was shocked by almost everything he said. This wasn’t the usual fluff: this guy really knew what he was talking about, in a way that I had never encountered before. Even his “I don’t know”s were substantial in a way that I wasn’t used to hearing."^{[12] [13]}

Books

• Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be. (Kids Can Press, Ltd, 2010) ISBN 1554534305
• Ankylosaur Attack (Tales of Prehistoric Life) . (Kids Can Press, Ltd, 2011) ISBN 1554536316

References

1. ^ "The Junior Skeptic Explains Evolution". Wired. 2010. http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/03/the-junior-skeptic-explains-evolution-daniel-loxton-on-natural-selection/. Retrieved 2011-02-24. 
2. ^ "Skeptic Magazine 'Meet the Creators'". http://www.skeptic.com/junior_skeptic/meet_the_creators.html. 
3. ^ "Where Do We Go From Here?". http://www.skeptic.com/downloads/WhereDoWeGoFromHere.pdf. 
4. ^ "What Do I Do Next?". http://www.skeptic.com/downloads/WhatDoIDoNext.pdf. 
5. ^ "Where Do We Go From Here?". October 16, 2007. http://www.skepticality.com/where-do-we-go-from-here/. Retrieved 2011-10-01. 
6. ^ "Episode 194". Official Skeptics' Guide Site. http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=194. 
7. ^ "Evolution for Kids". Official Site. http://www.forgoodreason.org/daniel_loxton_evolution_for_kids. 
8. ^ "MTS: Meet Daniel Loxton". Christopher Brown. March 16, 2011. http://meettheskeptics.libsyn.com/mts-meet-daniel-loxton. Retrieved 2011-09-4. 
9. ^ Loxton, Daniel (2010). Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came To Be. Kids Can Press. pp. 56. ISBN 978-1554534302. 
10. ^ Angela Hickman (06/14/2011). ""Shortlists for Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards released"". http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/06/14/shortlists-for-canadian-childrens-book-centre-awards-released/. 
11. ^ "Evolution of an author". Times Colonist. September 08, 2011. http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Evolution+artist/5366573/story.html. Retrieved 2011-09-11. 
12. ^ "Interview With Daniel Loxton of Junior Skeptic Magazine". University of Phoenix - Geek Mom. September 1, 2011. http://www.geekmom.com/tag/barry-beyerstein/. Retrieved 2011-09-4. 
13. ^ "MTS: Meet Daniel Loxton". Christopher Brown. March 16, 2011. http://meettheskeptics.libsyn.com/mts-meet-daniel-loxton. Retrieved 2011-09-4. 

External links

• Junior Skeptic
• Daniel Loxton blog

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