Sarah Lamagna: From Ecologist to Freelance Writing
Sarah Lamagna
Sarah Lamagna, freelance writer and friend of Granite Outdoor, has had a non-traditional journey into the writing world. She spent over a decade working for various non-profits and government agencies as an ecologist until it no longer suited her interests. She used her environmental background to break into the writing industry with a niche that gave her a unique voice when creating stories in the outdoor space. Since switching careers, Sarah’s bylines include Matador Network, 5280 magazine, The Denver Post, and even appeared as an expert on NPR’s The Takeaway for her work on wildfires in Colorado. She now specializes in eco-tourism, slow/sustainable travel, and parenting outdoors.
It's the latter subject that she is very passionate about and has since written a book to get more kids outside. Through hundreds of miles of trails walked and countless hours in the car driving from trailhead to trailhead, Sarah wrote Hiking with Kids New England. Published through Falcon Guides, the book focuses on 50 hikes throughout the six states that can be done as a family. Unlike many other guides geared towards kids, though, this one includes a spectrum of hike difficulty. There are hikes that range from a quick, 1-mile jaunt around a lake to epic mountain summits because kids can do hard things too.
As with all Falcon Guides, Sarah’s book contains all the basic information you’ll need to have a successful day out on the trail. That includes directions to the trailhead, parking information, expected fees, child hazards, and more. Plus, with her background as a former ecologist, Sarah adds in tidbits of information about the flora and fauna that you might encounter while out there in nature.
You can pre-order Hiking with Kids in New England (which is set to publish in mid-May) at most booksellers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target. However, Sarah loves supporting local, independent bookstores so make sure to see if your hometown bookseller can get the book for you before trying another place!
We’ve been working with Sarah to further develop OUTDOOR OFFICE, which just wrapped up a session at the Mt. Washington Backcountry Ski Festival. Sarah has brought valuable insights on navigating a writing career in the outdoor industry to the program and we look forward to continuing to learn from her!