Bio

Hey there and thanks for stopping by.

I’m Diane Mapes, a former freelance journalist now gainfully employed by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, where I write about cancer research and the patient experience. All opinions and f-bombs you might find here are most definitely my own. 😉

In a past life, I covered health, humor, lifestyle and singles issues via my Single Shot column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; multiple essays and articles for NBCnews, MSNBC, Match, TODAY, MSN, CNN, Columns Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, etc., and two books: How to Date in a Post-Dating World (a dating manual for the modern, mangled single) and the essay collection Single State of the Union, which I edited.

Hey, I wrote a book! Also, stay tuned — I’m writing another! Photo courtesy of Adrien Leavitt

I’ve also published a dozen or so short stories and this fun little zombie parody (co-authored with a buddy). Currently, I’m working on a darkly comic novel about cancer and crime.

Three years after my lobular breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, I went to work as a news writer for Fred Hutch, covering cancer research and prevention, public health issues, health disparities and more, including COVID-19. The fun never stops! 😉

In my “copious” spare time, I hang with friends and family, advocate for cancer patients, watch news incessantly and compose old timey-sounding music on my piano. You can read my essays, articles, short stories and columns here.

Looking for my breast cancer blog? Go to doublewhammied.com.