About me

I was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and grew up in Retreat, a small farming community along the Mississippi River near where Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa meet.

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Summers meant work in tobacco fields and long days outside. I spent my time fishing, picking berries, camping, catching fireflies, riding horses, building fires and forts, and getting lost in books and maps.

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I was a first-generation college student and earned a degree in Human Ecology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. For nearly two decades, I worked in public education in Madison.

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I also spent a year and a half in Biloxi and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, supporting recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The work ranged from rebuilding projects and volunteer coordination to community outreach and hosting groups from across the country.

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In 2020, COVID-19 and political unrest made me question my priorities. Less than six months into the pandemic, I bought a cabin on three acres in Wisconsin’s Driftless region, where I was raised and where my Norwegian ancestor had settled in 1864.

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In 2021, I downsized my material possessions by 90%, resigned from a nearly 20-year career, sold my car and left full-time life in the U.S.

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Today I live in Skånevik, a small village on Norway’s west coast between Bergen and Stavanger. I am learning the language, making connections, and finding my footing here.

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I keep coming back to community, family history, music and place, both in my life and in my writing.

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I am still that wild, curious country kid, following interesting roads, asking questions, and seeing where they lead.