Writer and photographer Amanda Castleman (she/hers) has worked as a wilderness guide in the mountains and temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up.

After earning a degree in Latin and Classical Studies, she spent eight years in Europe and the Middle East. She lived on a traditional narrowboat, moored on the Oxford Canal in England. She also endured two years swilling espresso in Italy, as a Visiting Writer at the American Academy in Rome, then ranged further afield to Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. But the scent of cedar and saltwater signaled home more clearly than any channel buoy. She returned to Washington State and now lives on the traditional land of Seattle’s first people, the Duwamish, with her partner and two cats.

A Lowell-Thomas winner, Amanda has contributed articles and photography to AFAR, AARP, Outside, Sierra, BBC Travel, American Way, Scuba Diving, Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and The New York Times. She’s worked on 30-odd books, including titles for Frommer’s and Rough Guides.

Amanda has taught journalism since 2003 and founded Write Like a Honey Badger, an online academy that offers need-based scholarships to BIPOC, LGBTQIA, and non-binary authors (www.writelikeahoneybadger.com).