Tracy Ross
Tracy Ross writes about the intersection of people and the natural world, industry, social justice and rural life from the perspective of someone who grew up in rural Idaho, lived in the Alaskan bush, reported in regions from Iran to Ecuador and as a parent of kids growing up during the age of accelerated climate change.
Before coming to The Colorado Sun, she was a correspondent for Outside Magazine, an editor at both Backpacker and Skiing magazines, and the author of the critically lauded memoir The Source of All Things, about overcoming child abuse through connection with and adventure in the outdoor world. She is the co-producer of a movie — Hard Miles — based on her Bicycling Magazine story Street Kids, about boys from a school for adjudicated youth in Colorado who she rode to the Grand Canyon with in 2014. She lives in Nederland with her husband, 12-year-old daughter, Hollis, and, occasionally, her two grown sons, Scout and Hatcher.
Job title: Rural reporter
Topic expertise: I specialize in stories affecting rural communities, from energy development to recreation to affordable housing and hunting. I also write about the outdoor economy, sports and culture. And whenever possible I dip my toe in arts that intersect with rural communities and the outdoors. I have a strong interest in social justice.
Location: Nederland, former land of Frozen Dead Guy Days current Carousel of Happiness
Newsletter: What's Working, news about unemployment, jobs, job training, hiring, labor issues and more
Education: It took me 12 years and four colleges to graduate because I kept getting distracted by real world adventures. But schools: Cornish College of the Arts, St. John's College (Santa Fe), University of Alaska Fairbanks, CU Denver (graduated at 30 while pregnant with my first kid). Also: I attended Interlochen Arts Academy (boarding school) for part of my high school, which had perhaps more impact on my life and education than any higher education.
Honors & Awards: National Magazine Award in essay category 2009 (beating Harpers, The New Yorker, and Antioch Review). Lowell Thomas award for investigative journalism 2015, I consider getting a book deal an award — 2009, multiple inclusions or notable mentions in Best American Sports Writing, Best American Travel Writing and Best American Magazine Writing
Contact:
Email: tracy@coloradosun.com
X (Formerly Twitter): @writertracyross
Instagram: @heli_girl_1970
Facebook: Tracy Ross
