PASSION PROJECTS
PASSION PROJECTS
WRITING
My writing was first published in 2008 and I've since written hundreds of articles ranging in styles from narrative to interview to investigative to listicle. I've also worked with dozens of writers as an editor, helping to craft stories that resonate with and reach a large audience.
The Sacred Headwaters: A journey to kayak the Stikine and protect the land
[INVESTIGATIVE]
It is sometimes referred to as the “Serengeti of Canada” because of the abundance of wildlife that inhabit the area, including: the largest population of stone sheep in the world, grizzly bears, wolves, and caribou. Still, owing to its relative isolation, the Sacred Headwaters is not well-known to the rest of the world, except perhaps among the whitewater kayaking community, where the Stikine is one of those few rivers held in an almost mythical regard.
Jessica Watson, 16, youngest person to sail around the world solo
[INTERVIEW]
In 1999, fellow Australian Jesse Martin successfully completed a solo sailing trip around the planet. In doing so he became the youngest ever to circumnavigate the globe unassisted. This September, 16-year-old Jessica Watson sets off with a goal that might take that distinction away from him.
Blues singer, Maria Muldaur, talks religion
[INTERVIEW]
Advice from 40-year-old me to 30-year-old me
[LISTICLE]
Don’t feel too badly, it’s not your fault that the environment you grew up in was poisonous when it came to ideas of masculinity and sexuality. Whatever ideas you have of what it means to “be a man,” no matter how much your friends might ridicule you, let them go. Be a genuine and caring human being, full stop.
Lessons from Seat 47A
[NARRATIVE]
Somewhere over an ocean, sometime between meals and restless napping, he put his pen down, picked up the paper, and turned to me. “My sister-in-law, my wife’s elder sister…she died last week. While I was away on business.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It was a gas explosion. She must have forgotten to turn off the gas at night, and when she went to light the stove the next morning…”
The Truth Shall Set You Free
[NARRATIVE]
“You know, I never wanted to get married,” she tells me. It’s not the first time she’s said that in our four years of marriage, but it’s the first time that I see she really means it. We flashback together to different points of our relationship before the wedding, playing the “hindsight is always 20/20” game.
Branded Articles
Travel guide to Zion National Park, Utah
[UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM]
By pretty much any measure, Zion is one of America’s most remarkable national parks. The dramatic Southwest scenery, the vibrant plant and animal life, and the array of top-tier outdoor adventure activities — both within park boundaries and the surrounding area — bring upwards of 3 million visitors a year to this southwestern corner of Utah.
20 fascinating things you didn’t
know about Utah
[UTAH OFFICE OF TOURISM]
It took over 70 years, from the birth of the national movement for woman suffrage in 1848 to the signing of the 19th Amendment, for American women to get the universal right to vote. But in 1870 — 50 years before the US Constitution was amended — Utah granted its female citizens this right. Sarah Young, grandniece of Brigham Young, was the first woman in the Utah territory to vote.
Finding Your Culture through Discovering Another’s
[SANDISK]
The potlatch reminded me of visiting family, both in the Philippines and in Canada, where on entering the house I was immediately confronted with a table loaded with food and adults telling me to "eat, eat!" As a kid I never appreciated the connection between food and community. Food brings people together where stories can be told, histories and traditions passed down from generation to generation. Culture survives in the breaking of bread and toasting of glasses. But I was oblivious to all of that; I just wanted to watch TV.
10 reasons to get off Facebook and into nature
[NATURE VALLEY]
I use my work as an online media professional to justify my constant presence on Facebook. It’s partially true; I do need to be on social media interacting with people, sharing content. But in all honesty, I spend way too much time on Facebook. There’s a good chance you do too. Maybe this’ll convince you (and me) to get outside more.
10 ways to get in touch with the natural world
[NATURE VALLEY]
Getting in touch with the natural world where I live, in the mountains of British Columbia, isn’t very difficult. I just need to step out of my house. But for most of my life, I’ve lived in big cities, where it can be more challenging. Sometimes all it takes, though, is a little shift in perspective. Whether you live in the concrete jungle or out in the sticks, these tips still apply.