I’m Erin Van Rheenen. I write, teach, and travel.

My life has been an effort to see the beauty in being upended. Life upends us all, again and again. I seek to claim my upendedness as a good thing. And to write about it.

That means exploring everything from moving abroad to surviving hospital stays to personal and professional transformations—not just my own, but others’, too. I’ve never met a subculture, underappreciated artist, or quirky backstory that didn’t move me to find out more.

I also write fiction and nonfiction that explores family dynamics, cultural difference, and the power of place. I got my BA and MA in Creative Writing and Literature, and my work has been anthologized and published in Bellevue Literary Review, Atlas Obscura, BBC Travel, Fiction, The Sun, and Best Women’s Travel Writing, among other places. I’ve contributed to many guidebooks and have been interviewed on CNN, local TV, and radio programs like Rick Steves Travel, as an expert on Costa Rica and moving abroad.

I feel lucky to have writing at the center of my life, though it hasn’t always supported me. The list of other jobs I’ve endured over the years includes stall mucker, waitress, art mover, aerobics teacher, and unskilled laborer. I’ve also worked as a staff writer at many mission-driven nonprofits, including ten years as Senior Writer at a science museum, The Exploratorium. I’ve taught writing in universities, high schools, and at the San Francisco women’s jail.