Kase Johnstun  lives and writes in Ogden, Utah. 

His travel writing has appeared in Southwest Magazine, Coldnoon: A Journal of Travel Poetics, and Like the Wind Magazine. 

Forthcoming, beginning in December 2017, The Ogden Standard Examiner will publish his bimonthly travel column and blog on their VISUALS page where he will chronicle his travel experiences by blending narrative and research into travel pieces.

He is the author of recently released "Beyond the Grip Craniosynostosis" (McFarland & Co), which has been featured in Pennsylvania Parenting Magazine, Portland Family Magazine, The Ogden Standard Examiner, and many other places, as well as having mentions in the Chicago Tribune and the Seattle Times. It was recently awarded the Gold Quill (First Place) in Creative Nonfiction by the League of Utah Writers for 2015.

His work has been published widely by literary journals and trade magazines, including, but not limited to, Yahoo Parenting, Creative Nonfiction Magazine, Coldnoon: Travel Writing and Traveling Poetics, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He is the co-editor/author of "Utah Reflections: Stories from the Wasatch Front (The History Press), which was name the Salt Lake Tribunes book of the month for August 2014 and the League of Utah Writers Recommended Read in Nonfiction 2015 (Third Place). His essay collection "Tortillas for Honkies" was named a finalist for the 2013 Autumn House press Nonfiction Awards (most of the essays in the collection have found homes in places like The Watershed Review, Label Me Latino/a, Prime Number Literary Magazine, and Animal Literary Magazine).

For six years, his work has appeared multiple times in The Good Men Project and The Ogden Standard Examiner. In January 2016, he was the artist in residence at JIWAR International Artist Residency in Barcelona, Spain.

What got you into travel writing?

I’ve always been a writer, publishing essays and books and short stories, but two years ago, I decided I want to focus a lot of my writing energy on travel writing. Like so many in NATJA, I have always been a traveler, and now is the time to start chronicling it. 

What's the most challenging part of travel writing for you?

I would consider myself a newbie travel writer (with a new shared blog with the Ogden Standard Examiner Newspaper on the horizon), so getting contracts, for me, at the point in my venture is still the most challenging part about the business. With this new collaborative blog, I am happy that my work will have a home. 

What one thing [equipment or a personal item] can't you go without on the road?

Wine. I really like wine. With wine, you can do anything. 

What was your most unusual and/or memorable travel experience?

In Germany, in 2001, I was arrested for robbing a hotel. I didn’t do it of course, but an American did, so they rounded up any of us who were visiting the small town, put us in a cell, questioned us, and didn’t let us leave the city until they caught the guy. Anyone interested in publishing this essay?  :)

What is the best piece of advice you could give to a rookie travel writer?

Be a writer. Develop your craft. When I made the commitment to focus a lot of my energy on travel writing, I landed a really nice contract pretty quickly out of the gate that paid amazing money. My experience wasn’t much different from anyone else’s, but I could write the experience well. Good writing always shines through, and we are all always improving our writing. 

Go to kasejohnstun.com to learn more about Kase and his work.

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