Her first book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, published by Milkweed was a New York Times Notable and has sold nearly 200,000 copies. Also won American Book Award, Pushcart Prize, Southern Bookseller Awards, Southern Environmental Law Center Writing Awards, and Eisenberg Award

Essays are explorations on what it means to travel into the wild as a woman

Focus on eco-travel which is a hot topic; environmental writing

Deep southern roots in Florida and Georgia

Geographies range from Alaska and Montana to Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica.

General audience: Nature lovers, nature writing, Eco-travelers and travelers; hikers, backpackers, campers, Academic; Creative Writing, English Departments, environmental studies programs, Southern travel; writing; Georgia/Florida, Latin American eco-interests

Author is winner of numerous awards across several books including the Nautilus Prize

Academic affiliations: (taught or writer-in-residence) Hollins University (Roanoke, Virginia), University of Montana (Missoula, Montana), Chatham University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Coastal Carolina University (Conway, South Carolina), Keene State College (Keene, New Hampshire), Green Mountain College (Poultney, Vermont), University of Mississippi (Oxford, Mississippi), Florida Gulf Coast University (Ft. Myers, Florida), University of Montana (Missoula, Montana); education; University of Montana -- MFA in Creative Writing (May 1997, Missoula, Montana), Florida State University -- BA. in English (April 1984, Tallahassee, Florida), North Georgia College (Dahlonega, Georgia), LaGrange College (honorary doc - LaGrange, Ga., 2014), Unity College (honorary doc Unity, Maine, 2007)