Meet Amanda: Narrative Nonfiction Writer & Archival Researcher
I’m Amanda, a narrative nonfiction writer drawn to the intersection of place, history, and memory. Whether I’m wandering through old-growth forests, tracing a family mystery through an archive, or traveling with my family across the country in our RV, I write about the stories we inherit, the ones we uncover, and the ones we create along the way.
My work blends travel, archival research, and reflective storytelling. I’m especially interested in the quiet, often overlooked moments that reveal how the past shapes our present lives. Over the last twenty years, I’ve researched family histories, sifted through forgotten documents, and followed threads that lead from small towns to international archives. Those discoveries inform everything I write, from personal essays to long-form historical narratives.
Before turning my attention fully toward writing, I spent more than a decade teaching math and history. That experience shaped my approach to storytelling: clear, grounded, accessible, and deeply human. I’m fascinated by the ways people make meaning through place, through memory, and through the stories they carry.
I live in Olympia, Washington, after a year and a half of full-time RV travel with my family. When I’m not writing, you can usually find me exploring the Pacific Northwest, digging into a new research mystery, or planning the next trip that will inevitably become a story.
Background & Current Projects
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, a second bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Master of Education in Mathematics Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Arlington.
My research experience spans more than twenty years and now informs several ongoing writing projects:
- a reflective, narrative‑driven guide to full‑time RV life that goes beyond checklists to explore the emotional, practical, and unexpected realities of living on the road, far from the curated perfection of Instagram
- an ongoing narrative nonfiction research project on Freddy and Truus Oversteegen’s World War II resistance work, tracing their lives and actions through archival documents and thematic analysis
- an in‑depth investigation into the life of Harry Clapham, a vicar whose charitable appeals concealed an elaborate fraud, reconstructed through rare family letters and primary source materials
- a growing collection of place‑based travel guides, including the Curious Traveler Guides and Curious Traveler Kids series, which explore hidden histories, meaningful travel, and the stories embedded in the places we visit
Through The Archive Lens, I continue to explore the connections between place, memory, and the stories we carry.