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“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” ― Mary Oliver

About

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I was born on August 27, 1979, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and raised in Retreat, an unincorporated community near the Mississippi River in the tri-state region of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota.

My childhood followed the rhythms of the land: fishing and camping along the river, building snow forts, riding horses, working in tobacco fields, and exploring the natural world.

After graduating from De Soto High School in 1997, I attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning a B.S. in Human Ecology with a focus on Community Leadership.

After college, I spent a year and a half on the Mississippi Gulf Coast supporting post–Hurricane Katrina recovery, first as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Biloxi and then as a team leader in Bay St. Louis.

In 2008, I returned to Wisconsin, where I began working in public education and building a fulfilling life in Madison.

The COVID-19 pandemic, paired with upheaval in the U.S., sparked a period of deep reflection that set me on a new path.

Welcome to Marla Goes North.​

Tobacco | De Soto, Wisconsin

Rebuilding houses | Biloxi, Mississippi

2008 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project | Mississippi, USA

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About Me

Nature explorer, solo traveler, music lover, waffle enthusiast.

Currently based in Skånevik, Norway.

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All photos @marlagoesnorth unless otherwise noted.

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