Nicky Leach, Writer/Editor
Perfecting the Art of the Possible
About Me
As both an educator and nature writer, I was drawn from the beginning to writing about the extraordinary US National Park System. My educational publications about western national parks have twice won prestigious National Park Service awards for interpretive excellence.
Among the beautifully illustrated books I have written on parks are: The National Parks of Utah, The Parks of Washington, and The Parks of New Mexico, as well as Olympic National Park, Columbia Gorge National Recreation Area, Arches and Canyonlands, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Zion National Park. These titles are available in western national park outlets, in local bookstores, and online through Amazon.com.
My writing has appeared in more than 50 internationally published guidebooks. Among my longtime clients are Sierra Press, Apa Insight Guides, Berlitz Guides,Ulysses Press's Hidden guides, and Globe Pequot Press's Insider's Guides, Off the Beaten Path, and Day Trips guides.
Over the last 30 years, I have edited thousands of publications, both large and small, for nonprofit organizations, museums, the Department of the Interior, corporations, and trade publishers. I've worked extensively with some of the top regional publishers and national park associations in the American West, as well as publishers located in London, Scotland, and France, on publications that cover a wide variety of topics. I have a particular interest in mind/body/spirit books, the arts, food, and health and wellness, and have worked extensively with such authors in the last few years. References are available upon request.
In addition to writing and editing, I have an extensive background in the healing arts and meditation practice, which has been enormously helpful in my writing and editing work as well as in maintaining balance in my busy life. I have nearly 1500 hours of training in massage, anatomy & physiology, craniosacral therapy, Trager, Polarity, Hakomi, Aromatherapy, and other healing modalities through Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California; New Mexico Academy of Healing Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico; and the Colorado School of Energy Studies, Boulder, Colorado. I am certified as a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist (BCST) through the International Affiliation of Biodynamic Trainings.
I have been lucky enough to live in some beautiful places in the American West, including Santa Barbara, California; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Seattle, Washington. I currently make my home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.