Imagine and explore

I am a writer, podcaster, and avid traveller based in Reno, Nevada.

I’ve been to 28 countries, 25 states, and 3 continents—and counting.

Hi, I’m Carson.

Growing up, books were my best friends. When my 4th grade teacher pulled me aside after a writing assignment and asked if I’d ever considered being a writer when I grew up, I was utterly flabbergasted. It seemed obvious in retrospect, but it had never occurred to me that someone had to write all those magnificent adventures, much less that they would have gotten paid for the effort. Now that I knew this was an option, all bets were off. My heart was set on writing, and I set about perfecting my craft.

My other passion has always been travel. Growing up, I had a world map over my bed, a pin in each place I wanted to go one day. By the time I graduated high school, it was absolutely covered in pins, and I’d started replacing the colorful ones with white ones to represent places I’d been. As a gap year, I was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Germany, where I attended a German high school and lived with local German families. The experience only furthered my desire to see the world, learn new languages, and experience different cultures.

After exchange, I attended the University of Nevada, Reno, and studied English Literature and Psychology. I utilized the University Studies Abroad Consortium to study for a summer in London, taking literature and theater classes. After struggling with my own mental health for a few years, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Post-graduation I continued to invest in travel. I started working as a substitute teacher in order to have control over my schedule, and started building out a cargo van into a tiny home so I could join the growing community of “van lifers.” After circling the United States and concluding a jaunt up through Canada to Alaska, I sold the van and once again embarked on overseas travel. This time I went independent of any programs, with my best friend at my side. We lived in Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, Morocco, and France over the course of a year, with frequent side trips to visit a total of 11 countries. We launched The Next Town Over while abroad, and returned to Nevada in 2023.

  • Here you can contact me and find the latest updates about publication, travel, and new projects.

  • Under this heading you’ll find links to my published works, descriptions of my works in progress, some writing samples and character exercises.

  • Here you’ll find my archived blogs from my van life experience and my year abroad, as well as a travel map marking all the places I’ve been thus far.

  • Under this heading you’ll find podcast episodes, information about the hosts (including yours truly), and the official contact form for the podcast.

I’m still working as a substitute teacher, balancing my time with writing. I’m also active in my community, working closely with the Rotary Youth Exchange program that sent me on exchange over ten years ago, volunteering at Reno Little Theater, and serving on the UNR Libraries Board. In my free time, I love to hike, dance, and read. I’m turning 30 this year, and I fully intend to make it count!