Brandon Wilson
Encyclopedia
Brandon Wilson is known as an author of non-fiction
travel narratives and explorer.
, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, USA, son of Dr. Edgar and Mary Beth (Tuttle) Wilson is the eldest of 3 children. By the age of fourteen, he was contributing articles to two local newspapers (Coraopolis Record and Moon Bulletin) and was published in two national high school anthologies. He was also an avid outdoorsman and active in the Boy Scouts of America
, earning the Eagle Scout
award (1967) with bronze, gold, and silver palms, and was accepted into the Order of the Arrow
attaining the Brotherhood level. After attending Sewickley Academy
and Moon Area High School
where he was selected an Allegheny County (PA) Exceptionally Able Youth, he graduated the later. He then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, matriculating with a BA degree
(double major in communications and dramatic arts). Wilson then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
, NYC.
, and then became a writer/director of television production
with North American Films in Eugene, Oregon
, producers of the films Sasquatch, Buffalo Rider and Mystery of the Sacred Shroud (with Richard Burton
). He also headed field investigations for North American Wildlife Research, examining the presence of Bigfoot
in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest
.
In 1981, Wilson relocated to Barrow, Alaska
, an Inupiat village on the edge of the Arctic Ocean
, where he served as the assistant to the Eskimo mayor and wrote about life in the Arctic
for Alaskan newspapers, including the Tundra Times, Northland News and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
. After moving to Anchorage, Alaska
in 1983, he directed promotions for the Anchorage Convention & Visitor's Bureau and continued contributing to statewide newspapers.
where he joined Peck Sims Mueller (NWAyer) in Honolulu as vp/senior writer/producer, winning eight AdFed awards and two International Television Awards, until 1989, when he began a writing/marketing consultancy specializing in the travel industry
. Over the next fifteen years, he continued travel adventure writing for newspapers, magazines and the Internet, winning an Adventurebase writing contest in 2000, while his photographs won awards from National Geographic Traveler
in 1998 and 1999, and Islands magazine in 1999.
He married Cheryl Ann Keefe, a television producer
from El Segundo, California
, in 1989. Together, they continued exploring nearly one hundred countries and were in Eastern Europe
during the fall of 1989 to chronicle the downfall of the Berlin Wall
. The following year, they began a 17-country trans-African overland safari from London
to Cape Town, South Africa, recounted in his non-fiction book, Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa
, published by Pilgrim's Tales in 2005.
Then in 1992, after training at high elevations in Vail, Colorado
, Wilson and his wife became the first Western couple to walk an ancient 1,000-km pilgrimage path from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal with their Tibetan horse named Sadhu. Their story of courage and survival is interwoven with the tale of their Tibetan hosts' struggle to survive Chinese occupation in the IPPY (Independent Publisher) award-winning non-fiction book, Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith
, published by Pilgrim's Tales in 2004. At its release, the book garnered positive reviews from Library Journal
, Midwest Book Review
and others.
That journey opened his eyes, as Wilson put it, to the "beauty of self-discovery through long-distance hiking—traveling 'one-step-at-a-time." An expert ultra-lite trekker, he believes that by slowing down,'“We absorb the hidden ‘magic’ in the world. We travel outside—while traveling within.”'
Wilson continued making trekking journeys over the next decade, hiking four other historic pilgrimage trails: the 500-mile Camino de Santiago twice across Spain (1999, 2005); the Via de la Plata
(2007), the 9th century, 1150-mile Via Francigena
from England to Rome (he is the first American to complete this route, per the Association Via Francigena (Rome) (2000, 2002), and the 400-mile St. Olav's Way across Norway (2004).
On September 29, 2006, he completed a 2620-mile (4217-km) pilgrimage trek for peace from Dijon
, France
to Jerusalem following a traditional Templar
/Roman
route, in great part following that of Godfrey of Bouillon
. It was well documented by television and newspapers in Belgrade
and Nis, Serbia
, Sofia
and Plovdiv
, Bulgaria
and Alanya
, Turkey
, among others. A non-fiction book recounting his journey, Along the Templar Trail
, was published by Pilgrim's Tales in 2008. At its release, Arun Gandhi, president of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, Univ. of Rochester, NY
called it, "A fascinating testimony of faith and gumption... A must read...," and Cindy Sheehan
, noted peace activist
said, "If we want peace on earth, we must make the effort to embody peace with each step. Brandon Wilson's inspiring journey, told beautifully in this book, is a living example of peacemaking." Along the Templar Trail was named a 2008 'Book of the Year Award' finalist in the Adventure/Recreation category, ForeWord Reviews.
Wilson provided the introduction to On a Donkey's Back, a collection of poetry and paintings by and about the lives of Nepalese porters, Yileen Press (ISBN 90615191638), 2008. His essay with fifty Via de la Plata photos was featured in the book Naïve & Abroad: Spain, Limping 600 Miles Through History (ISBN 9780595493968) by Marcus Wilder, 2008.
Wilson's short story
"Life When Hell Freezes Over" was included in the anthology They Lived to Tell the Tale: True Stories of Adventure from the Legendary Explorers Club (ISBN 9781592289912), (The Lyons Press/The Globe Pequot Press) in 2007.
From June–September 2009, Wilson and his wife traversed the high Alps for 1500-miles across eight countries on the Via Alpina from Trieste, Italy to Monaco while researching a new book. His book chronicling that journey, Over the Top & Back Again: Hiking X the Alps, was published in October 2010. It received the ForeWord Reviews 2010 Book of the Year Award - Bronze in the Travel Essay category.
Wilson won the 2009 Best Travel Book Lowell Thomas Gold Award for "Along the Templar Trail" from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation; a literary award
from the University of Pittsburgh
; and an international IPPY Award from Independent Publisher (2005). He is a member of The Explorers Club
(2005), Artists Without Frontiers, was selected for Mensa
(1982), and is an activist for peace and human rights
. He currently lives on the island of Maui
in Hawaii.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
travel narratives and explorer.
Early years
Born in Sewickley, PennsylvaniaSewickley, Pennsylvania
Sewickley is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 at the 2010 census...
, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, USA, son of Dr. Edgar and Mary Beth (Tuttle) Wilson is the eldest of 3 children. By the age of fourteen, he was contributing articles to two local newspapers (Coraopolis Record and Moon Bulletin) and was published in two national high school anthologies. He was also an avid outdoorsman and active in the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
, earning the Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
award (1967) with bronze, gold, and silver palms, and was accepted into the Order of the Arrow
Order of the Arrow
The Order of the Arrow is the national honor society of the Boy Scouts of America . It uses American Indian-styled traditions and ceremonies to bestow recognition on scouts selected by their peers as best exemplifying the ideals of Scouting. The society was created by E. Urner Goodman, with the...
attaining the Brotherhood level. After attending Sewickley Academy
Sewickley Academy
Sewickley Academy is a private coeducational college preparatory day school located in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Located approximately 12 miles north of Pittsburgh, Sewickley Academy is the oldest independent school in the Pittsburgh area dating back to 1838...
and Moon Area High School
Moon Area High School
Moon Area High School is a public high school located in the Moon Area School District in Pennsylvania. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 from Crescent and Moon townships. It is now located at 8353 University Boulevard...
where he was selected an Allegheny County (PA) Exceptionally Able Youth, he graduated the later. He then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, matriculating with a BA degree
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(double major in communications and dramatic arts). Wilson then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
, NYC.
Early career
Moving west, he began his professional career with the Seattle Repertory CompanySeattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle Repertory Theatre is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and Theatre Communications Group. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Jerry Manning and Managing Director Benjamin Moore...
, and then became a writer/director of television production
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
with North American Films in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, producers of the films Sasquatch, Buffalo Rider and Mystery of the Sacred Shroud (with Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
). He also headed field investigations for North American Wildlife Research, examining the presence of Bigfoot
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.
In 1981, Wilson relocated to Barrow, Alaska
Barrow, Alaska
Barrow is the largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is one of the northernmost cities in the world and is the northernmost city in the United States of America, with nearby Point Barrow being the nation's northernmost point. Barrow's population was 4,212 at the...
, an Inupiat village on the edge of the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
, where he served as the assistant to the Eskimo mayor and wrote about life in the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
for Alaskan newspapers, including the Tundra Times, Northland News and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner is a morning daily newspaper that serves the city of Fairbanks, Alaska, the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the Denali Borough, and the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the United States state of Alaska. It is the farthest north daily newspaper in the United States, and...
. After moving to Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
in 1983, he directed promotions for the Anchorage Convention & Visitor's Bureau and continued contributing to statewide newspapers.
Writing career
In 1986, following a year spent circling the world, Wilson relocated to HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
where he joined Peck Sims Mueller (NWAyer) in Honolulu as vp/senior writer/producer, winning eight AdFed awards and two International Television Awards, until 1989, when he began a writing/marketing consultancy specializing in the travel industry
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Over the next fifteen years, he continued travel adventure writing for newspapers, magazines and the Internet, winning an Adventurebase writing contest in 2000, while his photographs won awards from National Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Traveler
National Geographic Traveler is a magazine published by the National Geographic Society in the United States. It was launched in 1984. Local-language editions of National Geographic Traveler are published in Armenia, Belgium/the Netherlands, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Latin America,...
in 1998 and 1999, and Islands magazine in 1999.
He married Cheryl Ann Keefe, a television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
from El Segundo, California
El Segundo, California
El Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...
, in 1989. Together, they continued exploring nearly one hundred countries and were in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
during the fall of 1989 to chronicle the downfall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
. The following year, they began a 17-country trans-African overland safari from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Cape Town, South Africa, recounted in his non-fiction book, Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa
Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa
Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa by Brandon Wilson is a non-fiction travel narrative about a couple's honeymoon on a seven month, 10,000-mile, 17-country trans-African overland safari from London to Cape Town, South Africa.-Summary:This book takes readers along on the author's...
, published by Pilgrim's Tales in 2005.
Then in 1992, after training at high elevations in Vail, Colorado
Vail, Colorado
The Town of Vail is a Home Rule Municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,589 in 2005. The town was established and built as the base village to Vail Ski Resort, with which it was originally conceived...
, Wilson and his wife became the first Western couple to walk an ancient 1,000-km pilgrimage path from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal with their Tibetan horse named Sadhu. Their story of courage and survival is interwoven with the tale of their Tibetan hosts' struggle to survive Chinese occupation in the IPPY (Independent Publisher) award-winning non-fiction book, Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith
Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith
Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith is a nonfiction travel narrative by American writer Brandon Wilson set in Tibet.-Summary:In 1992, the author, his wife Cheryl, and their Tibetan horse Sadhu set off on an ancient pilgrimage trail from Lhasa, Tibet, to Kathmandu, Nepal.The original...
, published by Pilgrim's Tales in 2004. At its release, the book garnered positive reviews from Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
, Midwest Book Review
Midwest Book Review
Midwest Book Review is an organization which maintains several book review publications. Established in 1976, the organization's Editor-in-Chief is James A. Cox. Midwest Book Review produces several book review publications per month, with a goal of encouraging small press and increasing literacy....
and others.
That journey opened his eyes, as Wilson put it, to the "beauty of self-discovery through long-distance hiking—traveling 'one-step-at-a-time." An expert ultra-lite trekker, he believes that by slowing down,'“We absorb the hidden ‘magic’ in the world. We travel outside—while traveling within.”'
Wilson continued making trekking journeys over the next decade, hiking four other historic pilgrimage trails: the 500-mile Camino de Santiago twice across Spain (1999, 2005); the Via de la Plata
Via de la Plata
The Vía de La Plata or Ruta de la Plata is an ancient commercial and pilgrimage path that crosses the west of Spain from north to south, connecting Mérida to Astorga, and in extension Seville with the Bay of Biscay, at Gijón...
(2007), the 9th century, 1150-mile Via Francigena
Via Francigena
The Via Francigena is an ancient road between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. In mediaeval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route...
from England to Rome (he is the first American to complete this route, per the Association Via Francigena (Rome) (2000, 2002), and the 400-mile St. Olav's Way across Norway (2004).
On September 29, 2006, he completed a 2620-mile (4217-km) pilgrimage trek for peace from Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to Jerusalem following a traditional Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
/Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
route, in great part following that of Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon was a medieval Frankish knight who was one of the leaders of the First Crusade from 1096 until his death. He was the Lord of Bouillon, from which he took his byname, from 1076 and the Duke of Lower Lorraine from 1087...
. It was well documented by television and newspapers in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and Nis, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
and Alanya
Alanya
Alanya , formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, from the city of Antalya. On the southern coast of Turkey, the district has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and 248,286 inhabitants...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, among others. A non-fiction book recounting his journey, Along the Templar Trail
Along the Templar Trail
-Summary:Along the Templar Trail: Seven Million Steps for Peace is a non-fiction travelogue written by Brandon Wilson, published in 2008 by Pilgrim's Tales, Inc.. It is the true story about Wilson, an American, and "Émile", a 68-year old Frenchman, who set off in the spring of 2006 from Dijon,...
, was published by Pilgrim's Tales in 2008. At its release, Arun Gandhi, president of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, Univ. of Rochester, NY
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
called it, "A fascinating testimony of faith and gumption... A must read...," and Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Lee Miller Sheehan is an American anti-war activist whose son, U.S. Army Specialist Casey Sheehan, was killed by enemy action during the Iraq War. She attracted national and international media attention in August 2005 for her extended anti-war protest at a makeshift camp outside President...
, noted peace activist
Peace activist
This list of peace activists includes people who proactively advocate diplomatic, non-military resolution of political disputes, usually through nonviolent means.A peace activist is an activist of the peace movement.*Jane Addams*Martti Ahtisaari...
said, "If we want peace on earth, we must make the effort to embody peace with each step. Brandon Wilson's inspiring journey, told beautifully in this book, is a living example of peacemaking." Along the Templar Trail was named a 2008 'Book of the Year Award' finalist in the Adventure/Recreation category, ForeWord Reviews.
Wilson provided the introduction to On a Donkey's Back, a collection of poetry and paintings by and about the lives of Nepalese porters, Yileen Press (ISBN 90615191638), 2008. His essay with fifty Via de la Plata photos was featured in the book Naïve & Abroad: Spain, Limping 600 Miles Through History (ISBN 9780595493968) by Marcus Wilder, 2008.
Wilson's short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"Life When Hell Freezes Over" was included in the anthology They Lived to Tell the Tale: True Stories of Adventure from the Legendary Explorers Club (ISBN 9781592289912), (The Lyons Press/The Globe Pequot Press) in 2007.
From June–September 2009, Wilson and his wife traversed the high Alps for 1500-miles across eight countries on the Via Alpina from Trieste, Italy to Monaco while researching a new book. His book chronicling that journey, Over the Top & Back Again: Hiking X the Alps, was published in October 2010. It received the ForeWord Reviews 2010 Book of the Year Award - Bronze in the Travel Essay category.
Wilson won the 2009 Best Travel Book Lowell Thomas Gold Award for "Along the Templar Trail" from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation; a literary award
Literary award
A literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...
from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
; and an international IPPY Award from Independent Publisher (2005). He is a member of The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is a professional society dedicated to scientific exploration of Earth, its oceans, and outer space. Founded in 1904 in New York City, it currently has 30 branches world wide...
(2005), Artists Without Frontiers, was selected for Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
(1982), and is an activist for peace and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. He currently lives on the island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
in Hawaii.
Early influences
- Henry David ThoreauHenry David ThoreauHenry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
- Jack KerouacJack KerouacJean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
- Ernest HemingwayErnest HemingwayErnest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
Books
- Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of FaithYak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of FaithYak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith is a nonfiction travel narrative by American writer Brandon Wilson set in Tibet.-Summary:In 1992, the author, his wife Cheryl, and their Tibetan horse Sadhu set off on an ancient pilgrimage trail from Lhasa, Tibet, to Kathmandu, Nepal.The original...
(2004, 2005 second edition) ISBN 9780977053674/ISBN 9780977053667 - Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X AfricaDead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X AfricaDead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa by Brandon Wilson is a non-fiction travel narrative about a couple's honeymoon on a seven month, 10,000-mile, 17-country trans-African overland safari from London to Cape Town, South Africa.-Summary:This book takes readers along on the author's...
(2005) ISBN 9780977053650/ISBN 9780977053643 - Along the Templar TrailAlong the Templar Trail-Summary:Along the Templar Trail: Seven Million Steps for Peace is a non-fiction travelogue written by Brandon Wilson, published in 2008 by Pilgrim's Tales, Inc.. It is the true story about Wilson, an American, and "Émile", a 68-year old Frenchman, who set off in the spring of 2006 from Dijon,...
(2008) ISBN 9780977053698/ISBN 9780977053681 - Over the Top & Back Again: Hiking X the Alps (2010) ISBN 9780977053636/ISBN 9780977053629
- Yak Butter Blues: Una Caminata de Fe Por El Tíbet (2010, Spanish edition) ISBN 9780977053605
Anthology stories
- Wounds of War: Poets for Peace', "Thoughts from Along Life’s Trail: War and the Environment Within" (2006)
- They Lived to Tell the Tale: True Stories of Adventure from the Legendary Explorers Club, "Life When Hell Freezes Over" (2007)
Other writing/photography
- Essay with fifty photos of the Via de la Plata featured in Naïve & Abroad: Spain, Limping 600 Miles Through History by Marcus Wilder (book, 2008)
- Introduction to On a Donkey's Back, a collection of poetry and paintings by and about the lives of Nepalese porters, Yileen Press, (book, 2008)