Annelise Jolley is a San Diego-based essayist and journalist who writes about place, food, ecology, and faith. She writes for magazines and literary journals including The Rumpus, National Geographic, The Atavist, Civil Eats, and The Millions. Her work has won a James Beard Award, a Dart Award, an Overseas Press Club Award, and been noted in The Best American Travel Writing. She holds an MFA in creative nonfiction writing from Seattle Pacific University.
In what ways does nature inspire or inform your work?
Much of my writing is inspired by place or landscape, both directly and indirectly. Our places shape us, and so I’m interested in the ways a particular landscape or ecosystem shapes a story’s movement. On a personal level, being outside and immersed in natural beauty is crucial to my thinking and writing work.
What does it mean to you to be part of a thriving ecosystem?
Practicing connection, interdependence, and community. Looking out for the well being of others.
