The Virginia G. Piper
Center for Creative Writing

Walt Christophersen is the author of two books blending travel and journalism.  A Temporary European describes roaming the Continent as a reporter for a weekly TV newsmagazine produced in Germany and broadcast on 160 PBS stations as well as outlets in Canada and Australia. By Ship, Train, Bus, Plane & Sometimes Hitchhiking recounts solo travels in much of the world, including visits to dozens of Pacific islands and a nearly seven-month-long journey from Beirut to Tokyo. He regularly wrote about his travels for newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Examiner, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and Toronto Star. Walt stumbled into writing as a columnist and later editor-in-chief of the Pacific Weekly at his alma mater, the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. As a freelance writer, he’s been published in magazines ranging from Smithsonian Air & Space to Jack and Jill.