Amanda Castleman
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amandacastleman.bsky.social
Amanda Castleman
@amandacastleman.bsky.social
1.6K followers 2.3K following 93 posts
Seattle writer & photog: heath, travel & the environment. Pubbed in BBC, Sierra, Outside, NYT & NatGeo, etc. Founder of the school writelikeahoneybadger.com. ADHDer, geeks over drag, native plants, tiny homes & wild swimming. She/her. amandacastleman.com
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amandacastleman.bsky.social
SCHOLARSHIP OPP: Hands down, Travel Classics Media is the best networking conference for travel writing. Apply for this emerging-author aid—honoring my late brother-by-choice—by 7/1 and win a trip to the Quebec session October 13-16, 2025. Get in there, friends!!! travelclassics.com/scholarship
Edward smiles shyly at the camera. He's a middle-aged man with a black-and-white fleece cap, glasses, a calico beard, moss-green waterproof jacket and a paddling life jacket. It's a clear sunny day in SE Alaska and snow-gilded mountains are visible in the background.
June 16, 2025 at 11:28 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Photo bombus!!! 😹

#pollinators #bumblebees #bombus #lupine #blossomscrolling #nativeplants
A bumble bee harvests from a purple bigleaf lupine, while another cruises over. In the background are large verdant lupine leaves (kind of like big green daisy petals in shape).
June 16, 2025 at 7:25 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
A black cartoon cat with a crown sits on a pillow above flames. The text reads: "No kings! However we do accept tiny in-house monarchs with ticklety tum tums."
June 14, 2025 at 9:26 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Getting fired up for No Kings day!

(And, yes, Snopes confirmed this story: bit.ly/3ZXOYA8)
Text says '"we interrupted our drag show to shoot at at Nazis' is a truly powerful energy I want to bring back." The image shows men in pale flouncy dresses pushing a gun into position on a foggy day. Its captions reads: British Soldiers (interrupted during drag show rehearsals by a German raid) manning a BL 6-inch Mk VII naval gun at Shornemead Fort, England in 1940. Epic!
June 13, 2025 at 6:38 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
✨NIPPED!✨

#Void #Blackcat #Blueskycats #Catsofbluesky
A shiny black cat with moss-green eyes (Manson lamps!) hangs off a dark wood cat tree. Behind him, you can see a vaulted cedar ceiling with dark wood beams, plus art and many plants, including a pony tail palm. Image copyright amandacastleman.com
May 1, 2025 at 1:01 AM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Cinnamon Squirrel and her mate Big Red have become my coffee klatch. They take turns visiting each morning, sometimes companionably devouring nuts as I caffeinate. Eastern grays are an invasive species in Seattle, I know, but they've also invaded my heart, dangnabbit!
An alert grey squirrel with a peachy face and other red markings on her back. She's standing on the arched branch of a weeping atlas cedar with a weeping redwood behind her, as well as a glimpse of eco-lawn and the street. It's a grey winter day in the Pacific Northwest. A chonky grey squirrel stands atop a mason bee chalet with mossy maple bark in the background. His tail curls behind him and is very plumey. He has red markings, especially on his face and elbows. Little dude has kind of a benevolent major domo vibe going here...
April 1, 2025 at 5:22 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
The blue-booty bees are back! Today I spotted the season's first wild mason bees in action (my cocoons are still slumbering in the fridge). Adorable!
Wild Washington mason bees clamber on a euphorbia blossom. They have blue booties and sort of resemble flies. The two bees are harvesting pollen from a yellow-lime green plant and more plants are visible in the background, including some sedum succulents
March 27, 2025 at 10:25 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Trumpsissimus, yep! Shudder...

(Also, thanks! I'm trying not to panic out of freelancing, which suits me so well and gives me flexibility to support my fella. But the "run away" urge is... vivid now, haha! Big Monty Python energy...)
Monty Python characters overreact to the scariness of a bunny, shouting "run away" while dressed a medieval adventurers.
March 5, 2025 at 4:21 AM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
My partner @dspaulding.bsky.social went on disability leave last summer & his company—surprise!—cancelled our insurance without warning on 2/28. Something we discovered today by accident. Fun! But, hey, the stress made our aloof girlcat Badger cuddle me: a new trick in her arsenal at age 12. Awww!
A pumpkin, peach and charcoal tortoiseshell cat sleeps on her person's lap, covered in a sage blanket. Her eyes are closed and paws tucked. The pic is very peaceful and features her Main Coon ear tufts nicely!
March 5, 2025 at 3:32 AM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Meet Badger the Miracle Puff! (Nickname courtesy of our vet, who's continually impressed with B's ability to live large despite 8 years of a mysterious liver infection.)
A portrait of a wacky tortoiseshell cat with long fur, ear tufts, and an asymmetrical face. Her colors are pumpkin, charcoal and a hint of beige. Here she's staring into the camera, head cocked, while lounging on a blue-grey velvet chair. A portrait of a wacky tortoiseshell cat with long fur, a plumey tail and an asymmetrical face. Her colors are pumpkin, charcoal and a hint of beige. Here she sits on a window ledge beside a glass bowl with an air plant. The snow-gilded Olympic Mountains are visible in the background. It's a clear day with afternoon sunlight syruping down.
March 1, 2025 at 6:40 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
My travel writing course still has three seats open at @honeybadgerwriters.bsky.social. The asynchronous class starts today, 2/25 (open enrollment till day 10). Join us for industry insights and weekly developmental line-edits from expert instructors!

www.writelikeahoneybadger.com/classes/trav...
A Zodiac full of travelers is silhouetted against giant blue icebergs. Very majestic vibe.
February 25, 2025 at 4:50 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Scholarship opp: @honeybadgerwriters.bsky.social is accepting applications from journos and emerging writers from backgrounds underrepresented in the #media. Deadline: midnight on 2/19 for my six-week online #travelwriting class starting 2/25.
www.writelikeahoneybadger.com/scholarships
A young Asian woman in a train station with a knapsack and camera. She has dark hair in a bun, a white tank, and blue-and-white striped shirt.
February 19, 2025 at 12:10 AM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Registration opened for the fall @travelclassics.bsky.social conference. Interested? Apply immediately, as it usually sells out in a day or two. Another avenue: a scholarship honoring my late brother-by-choice, which includes the fee, accommodation & $350 towards airfare. bit.ly/travelclassics
A white man in his 40s with thin wire glasses, a calico beard and outdoor gear. Snowcapped SE Alaskan peaks and blue sky are visible behind him. Photo copyright amandacastleman.com
January 15, 2025 at 8:59 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
How fun that our Jeep achieved Peak Northwest by spouting baby blue mini-mushrooms, right as my soul sister Stephanie Oswald rocked up in Seattle!

(Pic of a previous rainy hangout together, back when Kalaloch Lodge allowed beach bonfires.)
A rainy Pacific Northwest beach bonfire at night with people huddled around in raincoats and others sitting on logs with an umbrella.
December 18, 2024 at 7:31 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Last call for a nifty free webinar on December 5, starting at 7am PST/10am EST. Come talk #travelwriting with @charukesi.bsky.social, @jenrosesmith.bsky.social, Meera Dattani and myself! #writingtips #narrativenonfiction #journalism #pitching

bit.ly/travelmediaw...
A promotional image for a travel writing webinar, December 5, 2024, featuring Amanda Castleman, Charukesi Ramadurai, Jen Rose Smith and Meera Dattani, 3pm GMT on Zoom
December 5, 2024 at 2:47 AM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Here's my fave #stetpet shot: our tortoiseshell Badger rolling around on my desk as a spicy baby. Though I also like this snap of Bailey stealing my home office's comfy chair.

(STET = proofreading mark for "let it stand," as in "ignore a suggested change.") #journalism @dspaulding.bsky.social
A pumpkin and charcoal kitten rolling around on a desk with a misty PNW yard visible out the window. She has gold eyes and an open mouth, and is in motion, making her look extra zany! Image copyright amandacastleman.com
November 21, 2024 at 11:07 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
I'm gearing up for a free #travelwriting webinar with superstars Meera Dattani and @jenrosesmith.bsky.social. Join me in getting heavily caffeinated and talking shop on December 5, 10am EST/7am PST! Grab a ticket here: bit.ly/travelmediaw...

#journalism #narrativenonfiction #writingtips #travel
Promo for a free webinar on pitching, follow-ups, ghosting, working in travel media now and how to feel 2025-ready. Panelists include Amanda Castleman, Jen Rose Smith and Meera Dattani. The event will be held online December 5, 2024, at 3pm CMT/10am EST/7am PST
November 20, 2024 at 5:59 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Got haircut masked > Got Covid anyway > Immune-compromised partner sleeping in unplumbed outbuilding gets food poisoning (tiny home problems!) > Got adept at hosing vom off deck > Got five journalism deadlines met somehow > Got *super* relieved this stupid week is over
A headshot of a middle-aged white woman with long straight dirty blonde hair, partially lit by the sunset. She's wearing big black Jackie O sunglasses and a black v-neck, and is standing in front of a Mexican restaurant's neon signs.
November 16, 2024 at 2:26 AM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Yes, please and thank you!
A giant river otter glares while chasing a skiff in Guyana. He has red-rimmed eyes and water droplets on his whiskers. The water is brown from tannins and the riverbank looks red and beige.
November 14, 2024 at 3:53 AM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
An intro, as the X-odus continues! I'm a Seattle writer & photographer focusing on travel, medicine & the environment. My work appears in Afar, BBC Travel, Hidden Compass, Sierra, National Geographic & The New York Times. Founder & instructor at www.writelikeahoneybadger.com

www.amandacastleman.com
A Guyanese giant river otter glares at the camera with red-rimmed eyes, as it chases a boat. Water droplets hang from its whiskers. The water appears brown from tannins and the bank has small beige-red rocks.
November 13, 2024 at 11:29 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Get your travel writing groove on with Write Like A Honey Badger's six-week online course. I'm teaching with the fabulous Jessica Poitevien and Leslie Hsu Oh again — we give weekly developmental edits, so students accelerate quickly. Our next session starts 3/14 with enrollment open until day 10!
Two women sit on a rocky outcrop over a wide, frothy white waterfall, gushing to the left of the frame. They're overlooking an evergreen-lined lake turned turquoise from glacial silt. A mountain and blue sky with puffy white clouds are visible in the background.
March 13, 2024 at 10:24 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Kicking off the new year with salt water and sunshine. Happy 2024!
A Pacific Northwest beach scene with cobblestones, a silhouetted evergreen, beach logs and two walkers, plus pale gold clouds streaming across winter cerulean sky
January 2, 2024 at 7:58 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
As a Seattleite, I tend to blast through Olympia, WA, like "make a hole, I'm almost home!" But a magazine assignment convinced me to slow down and explore the area, from grunge nostalgia at Capitol Theater to Cajun-PNW fusion fare at Chicory and The Tenino Stone Carvers' renaissance. Lesson learned!
View of Washington's Capitol Building from across Capitol Lake. The sky's bluebird-colored with faint wisps of clouds, and evergreens and autumn foliage reflect in the mostly still water. The grey-stone dome of the capitol rises in the background. View of Mount Rainier across West Bay in Olympia. Rainier, the most glaciated peak in the contiguous US, rises above an evergreen-fletched hill with orange and gold apartment buildings at its base. Golden-hour light is gilding the mountain's snow and the sky's cerulean. Janus carving by Keith Phillips near the historic quarry in Tenino, WA, a rising epicenter of stonecarving. The image focuses on a column of irregular grey-stone blocks with a circular center piece, showing the two-faced Roman god. To the left, there are evergreens and a cycle path with several bundled-up figures walking on a brisk autumn day.
December 21, 2023 at 8:34 PM
amandacastleman.bsky.social
Seattle-area folks, if anyone needs a headshot update, the photographer who updated mine — Tara Gimmer — is offering a $149, 20-minute deal on January 20th. She's lovely... and excellent at settling down squirmy, lens-shy creatives!

taragimmer.com/seattle-head...
Writer and photographer Amanda Castleman's headshot. She's a middle-aged white woman with pale skin, blue eyes and a brown high bun with light grey strands. She's wearing a black V-neck tee and black pearl earrings. The righthand side of the image shows the photographer's logo: the words "tag photo" superimposed over her mobile studio, an Airstream trailer.
December 21, 2023 at 8:29 PM