Explore the tapestry
Story Categories
All stories written by me, unless noted as a collaboration.
Chronicles of edgy environments and experiences that leave us awe-struck and attentive — ready to learn lessons of humility, empathy, and purpose.
Stories of connections with elders or ancestors — through family lines or across cultures — that unearth a collective kinship, spark a creative endeavor, or preserve ancient wisdom.
Profiles of underdogs and experts exploring the frontiers of human knowledge, conducting groundbreaking research, and collaborating to achieve the unprecedented.
Death Road
Originally published by The Best Travel Writing 2011
I leaned cautiously towards the road’s edge, which gave way to a sheer cliff, a gashed rock-face stretching towards the distant earth. At the bottom, a mere speck of yellow on the floor…
Looking to Tourists for Revival After an Earthquake
Originally published by Ethical Traveler
It started gently, just past sunset on a Saturday evening in Canoa, a touristy surf town in Ecuador. Peter Stromberg and his wife Maija were sitting on their couch for dinner…
Trick of the Light
Originally published by Hidden Compass
Written by Annelise Jolley; Edited by Sabine K. Bergmann
As I land in Thailand, my understanding of prostitution is limited to movie depictions, cursory research about sex trafficking, and glimpses of women on street corners…
Camping Out on Working Lands
Originally published by Bay Nature Magazine
An hour before April’s first sunrise, I wriggle out of my sleeping bag and unzip my tent flap to the chatter of birdsong. I listen for a moment—between the phrases of a robin’s song…
In Conversation With Tim Cahill
Originally published by Adventure Collection
For decades, Tim Cahill has delighted and thrilled readers by journeying wholeheartedly to far-flung destinations in pursuit of a story. Hundreds of magazine articles and ten books later…
The Unfolding Perspective of Travel
In the hour before sunrise, I pick my way along a jagged outcropping of stones along the coast of Big Sur, California. Tufts of sweet alyssum flowers are scattered among my feet…
Something Deeper
Originally published by Adventure Collection
Honestly, it sounds insane: hurtling down whitewater on a piece of foam. But here I am, gripping the handles of my riverboard—a chunky style of bodyboard one rides…
How to Champion Community Rights on a Nature Vacation
Originally published by Ethical Traveler
“We have been residing in this area for decades, and all of a sudden the government told us to vacate,” Rafiz Ali told Reuters journalist Rina Chandran last September. Ali was…
Tripping Over Wildlife
Originally published by Adventure Collection
“In this weather, you’d step on a moose before you’d see one.” Larry Benz was standing with his hands on his hips, squinting out the glass doors of his hand-built cabin at the northern…
I’m a Better Person When I Travel
Originally published by Adventure Collection
The feeling of possibility is my favorite travel companion. It’s always there, but was especially lively when I arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at the age of 19, with…
A Stargazer’s Guide to Protected Dark Skies
Originally published by Sierra Magazine
For millennia, human beings have gazed into the firmament and been awed by the thousands of stars, galaxies, nebulae, and other cosmic wonders visible to the naked eye. But in recent…