Kristin Ohlson

Kristin Ohlson is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Her newest book is "Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World." Her last book was "The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers and Foodies are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet," which the Los Angeles Times calls “a hopeful book and a necessary one…. a fast-paced and entertaining shot across the bow of mainstream thinking about land use.” She appears in the award-winning documentary film, "Kiss the Ground," speaking about the connection between soil and climate health. Shorter pieces have appeared in The New York Times, Smithsonian, Discover, New Scientist, Orion, Aeon, Ms., Oprah, Gourmet, Salon, American Archaeology, and more. Her work has been anthologized in Best American Science Writing and Best American Food Writing.

Ohlson grew up in a small agricultural town in California’s Sacramento Valley, and her parents didn’t worry if she was bored or lonely when she wasn’t at school. Consequently, she spent hours in a nearby vacant lot riddled with anthills watching the ants hustle back and forth and, occasionally, inserting herself in their lives with handfuls of sugar or sticks to block their paths. Pretty sure this is where her interest in both science and nature began.