About Kathryn Miles...

Kathryn is an author and professor of Environmental Writing at Unity College, where she teaches courses in narrative nonfiction, nature writing, and journalism.  Her first book, Adventures with Ari, combines backyard naturalism, personal memoir, and canine ethnography.  It was named a Bark! Magazine notable book for 2009.


Born in Illinois, Miles took her first job as a junior reporter at the Journal Star in Peoria at the age of 16 (she swears the only reason her high school let her do this was because she was such a peevish student).  Her first published articles spanned such subjects as national pumpkin chunking tournaments, the fashion behind Major League baseball uniforms, and the art of Zamboni driving.  She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and English from Saint Louis University in 1996, and took her Ph.D. in English from the University of Delaware in 2001.


Since that time, she was written extensively on ideas of place, environmental activism, and the role of memory in defining landscape.  Her scholarly articles on epistemology and environmental history have appeared in journals including PMLA, Colby Quarterly, and The Forum. Miles has also published her creative nonfiction in journals such as Reconstruction, Terrain, and Women Writers.  Her recent essay, Dog is My Co-Pilot, which traces the ethnological evolution of the canine/human relationship, was an award-winning entry in the Ecotone evolution contest, held in honor of Darwin’s 200th birthday. It has also been named a Best American Essay by Houghton Mifflin for 2009. Additionally, Miles is author of the long-running “Backcountry Bistro” column and has published newspaper and magazine articles on topics ranging from the dairy industry to life on a tall ship.  Her series on the settlement of the New England coast has been nominated for a regional prize in journalism.


Miles has lectured at Harvard University, Antioch New England, Husson University, and for several other schools and organizations.  She has taught writing workshops for Audubon, the Orion Society’s climate change program, and the Maine Environmental Writing Retreat.  She currently serves as a scholar-in-residence for the Maine Humanities Council and as editor of Hawk & Handsaw: The Journal of Creative Sustainability.  


A member of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Miles admits she derives far more pleasure from eating vegetables than she does growing them.  She is also an avid backpacker, sailor, and skier, though says she lacks the skills needed to be truly competent at any of these pursuits.  She lives in Unity, Maine, with her husband Greg, an English professor, and their four-legged family. Miles is represented by the Strothman Literary Agency.