To read some of my favorite written pieces, please use the “Click to Read” links following the blurb. Some of my visual work appears with some of my stories, but for a curated representation, please visit:
Glenn’s Photographic Portfolio
A Road Trip to Explore Race Along the Nez Perce Trail (Part 1 of 3)
YES! Magazine, November 12, 2021
In search of battlefields, BIPOCs (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and bears (oh my).
The Gentrification of Wilderness (Part 2 of 3)
YES! Magazine, November 17, 2021
For communities of color, the organized outdoors is in danger of becoming a forbidden love.
Chasing Liberty Along the Nez Perce Trail (Part 3 of 3)
YES! Magazine, November 23, 2021
Traveling the Nez Perce Trail was like rewatching a favorite movie in which the hero dies at the end.
What’s in a Name? Plenty, if it Belongs to a Slaveholder or White Supremacist
South Seattle Emerald, August 25, 2021
Naming places and things after people seems so yesteryear, so very Euro and full of hubris.
Waking up: Will the outdoor industry ever get DEI right?
Outside Business Journal, March 2, 2021
Here’s why black squares and wishy-washy statements aren’t enough—and what real progress looks like.
Why Local Jazz Must Survive
South Seattle Emerald, March 2, 2021
Jazz has transcended race, age, culture, and language, even in as massively white a place as Seattle.
Toppling John Muir is Not Enough
Crosscut, August 21, 2020
To overcome a violent history of exclusion, the nation’s “green ecosystem” will need to do more than acknowledge past sins.
The Joys and Risks of Being a Black Birder
South Seattle Emerald, June 4, 2020
Two Black men birdwatch in an urban Seattle neighborhood, within blocks of a fatal shooting, and focus on the rewards.
Last Words on a Forgotten Era in Seattle’s Racial History
Crosscut, January 3, 2020
Mildred McHenry sought a refuge from the indignities of the South and found a life of adventure, challenges and influence in the Central District.
How One Town Developed a New Way to Police
The Nation, November 20, 2019
Renton, Washington, has become a national model for inclusive governing.
An American Journey
National Parks Magazine, Fall 2019
Was the story of Minidoka National Historic Site my story, too?
Battle for ‘Soul’ of Seattle’s Japanese Community
The Seattle Times, September 4, 2019
A cultural and political reckoning occurs over the closure of an iconic, post-WWII nursing facility.
Police tower casts a shadow over South Seattle Safeway
Crosscut, April 10, 2019
The tower is an intimidating and unwelcome addition to Rainier Valley, one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods.
Baseball players come and go. Ichiro was different
Crosscut, March 21, 2019
A Japanese American’s appreciation of the cultural impact of now-former Mariner and future Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki.
Birding Is Booming. So Where Are the Black Birders?
YES! Magazine, Spring (Dirt) Issue 2019
Raising the profile of Black birders could help foster a healthy connection between Black communities and the natural world.
A Seattle photographer’s ‘obsession’ with an ill-fated osprey family leads to the kind of emotional attachment the environment could really use
The Seattle Times, Feb. 28, 2019
A personal and reported essay about the heartbreak of nature, and the possibilities to connect underrepresented populations. Includes extensive photo gallery and video.
How Birds Gave Japanese Prisoners Wings
Audubon, Aug. 15, 2018
Written and illustrated vignettes about the intersection of culture and nature.
It’s Time to Think Beyond Bears Ears
Outside Magazine, March 2018
Commentary about creating more culturally relevant and accessible public lands units for people of color.
I sat with an athlete in protest in the 90s. It’s complicated.
Crosscut, Sept. 26, 2017
Commentary about my part in an athlete’s national anthem protest–decades before Colin Colin Kaepernick; part of a first-place entry for Commentary, Society of Professional Journalists, 2018.
Why has the National Park Service gotten whiter?
Sidebar: System Failure
Sidebar: Mountains of Diversity
High Country News, Aug. 23, 2016
A year-long investigation into workforce diversity in the National Park Service; part of a second-place entry for Outstanding Beat Reporting, Society of Professional Journalists, 2017.
Click to Read Mountains of Diversity
What If I’m Not White?
High Country News, June 27, 2016
A personal essay about identity and media and public lands; part of a second-place entry for Outstanding Beat Reporting, Society of Professional Journalists, 2017.
Why Are Our Parks So White?
The New York Times, July 10, 2015
This commentary on the National Park Service’s dogged issue with race was one of the most read stories on the Times’ platforms that weekend.
Farewell Air Körbes
Medium/The Cauldron, June 8, 2015
A sportswriter’s appreciation of a Jordan-like ballerina quietly retiring at the top of her game; self-produced, self-edited, self-published then picked up by The Cauldron/SI.
I’ve honestly not kept track, but the first two on this list earned national awards. Some of the others may have earned regional honors.
The Buzz: Glenn Nelson 