Photo by Lauren Beane
Based in Portland, Oregon, Amelia Arvesen is an independent journalist exploring the intersection of humans and their environments, whether they’re on the trail or in their studios. As a maker and artist herself, she gravitates toward stories about how things are made and the people who make them. Her work appears in nationally and internationally-recognized publications like Outside, Backpacker, Women’s Health, Men’s Journal, Via Magazine, Texas Monthly, Field Mag, and Adventure.com.
In her earlier reporting days, Amelia served as an editor of an outdoor industry business journal (eventually acquired by Outside) and reporter at local newspapers in Colorado, Kansas, and California. Fresh out of journalism school, she covered the crime and court beat, including an investigation of dishonest cops in Boulder County. In 2016, she was the co-recipient of the investigative Victor Murdock Award for reporting on a truck salvage yard in Kansas tied up in civil battles and EPA violations.
Since 2020, Amelia has written the newsletter Honing Her Craft about reflections, connection, and creativity. She is also an organizer with Empowerment Avenue, which amplifies the work of incarcerated artists and writers.
RECENT WORK
COSTA RICA’S NEWEST ATTRACTION? MUSHROOMS
Adventure.com| August 2022
Forget sloths, quetzals and toucans: There’s a new trail through Costa Rica’s diverse ecosystems, and it’s showcasing the country’s precious… mushrooms. Beyond buoying the country’s already-strong ecotourism opportunities, trip organizers are encouraging citizen science and conservation participation in a fun world of fungi.
I WITNESSED A FATAL BIKE CRASH. IT CHANGED ME FOREVER.
Outside Magazine | December 2021
Earlier this year, journalist Amelia Arvesen participated in a ride for bicycling safety that ended in tragedy. Months later, she’s still figuring out how to process what she saw.