Chris Lavin became a lifelong journalist the day her English teacher appointed her to edit and write for the high school newspaper in Huntington, Indiana, in 1977. She went on to become a reporter, photographer, copy editor or editor in six states, including The Burlington (VT) Free Press, The Oakland (CA) Tribune, The Houston Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Wanting to see part of the rest of the world, she joined the Peace Corps, spending three years in Africa helping to grow swamp rice, then journeying across the wildly diverse continent. She lives in Northern California.
