Heather Richie

Heather Richie
Richie in 2015
Born
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Occupationswriter and editor
Years activesince 2010
Known forfoodways, gonzo journalism

Heather Richie is an American writer and editor specializing in land traditions, foodways, outdoor sports, and environmental storytelling. Her work spans diverse domains, including culinary culture, rural land use, and gonzo journalism.[1]

Early life and education

Heather Richie was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She attended the College of Charleston undergraduate program where she worked in the Writing Lab, and Sewanee: The University of the South, where her MFA thesis was accepted for publication by LSU Press.[2] Prior to attending graduate school, she did stints in odd jobs with overlapping interests in education, food systems, and entrepreneurship, such as at small farms and bakeries, spending "10 years joining Teach for America, starting a real estate brokerage, making signs, delivering flowers and, finally, delivering the mail."[3]

She later completed a certificate in documentary studies at Duke University[4] and undertook a PhD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her dissertation explores the role of the media and the Catholic Church in influencing 19th-21st century attitudes towards seafood consumption in Ireland.

In 2025, she began legal studies at the Law Society of Ireland focusing on fisheries and food legislation.

Career

Writing

Richie's bylines include Southern Living, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Journal, Garden & Gun, Oxford American, Gastronomica, and Nieman Storyboard.[5] Her work for Garden & Gun includes "A Cake of Truly Historic Proportions", a culinary history piece about Martha Washington's Great Cake.[6] She has written features for Land Magazine on land-use traditions, hunting leases, and wildlife conservation.[7]

She was an editorial intern at Garden & Gun and Oxford American, and Associate Editor at Fiction Southeast.[8] She served as adjunct faculty at Toccoa Falls College and LBC Universidad, and has served as a copywriter at Annapolis Performance Sailing and a digital producer for Roads & Kingdoms and Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown.[9]

Richie has spoken at academic conferences including the 2016 Society for the Study of Southern Literature conference in Boston[10] and the Dublin Gastronomy Symposium in 2018.[11] She was a 2017 judge for the International Association of Culinary Professionals Food Writing Awards.

Maritime and fishing

Richie is a licensed Maritime and Coastguard Agency mariner, having worked on international yacht crews after completing training with the Royal Yachting Association and earning a Ship's Cook Certificate under the Maritime Labour Convention.[12] She has commented on European Union seafood labelling regulation and consumer protection in the Irish market.[13] She is also a certified fishing guide and licensed commercial fisherman in the US and EU.[14]

Business

In 2020, she founded a Lymington-based cookbook and specialty food store, delaying launch until 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] In 2024, the company opened an Irish branch office.

Richie is the founder of Autism Friendly Connemara, part of the Irish charity AsIAm's Autism Friendly Towns programme.[16][17]

Bibliography

  • Full: A Slim Volume on Southern Foodways. Cabin Books, 2020.[18]
  • The Delphi Salmon Company. Aisling Books, 2026.[19]

Recognition

In 2014, Richie was awarded a research grant from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, a New New South Editorial Fellowship at Duke University, and the Rivendell Writer-in-Residency from the Sewanee School of Letters. That same year, she was featured in the Southern Foodways Alliance's inaugural Spotlight series,[4] and was named a scholarship finalist for the Lee Bros. Cookbook Boot Camp.

Richie received the Carnegie-Whitney Grant from the American Library Association under the direction of Jennifer France of American College of the Building Arts to compile "The Essential Wooden Boat Building Reading List".[20] During the grant period she attended the wooden boat building school at Cape Fear Community College and produced an epistolary column for WoodenBoat.[3]

In 2021, she received multiple scholarships including the Orvis 50/50 award to attend the Certified Fly Fishing Guide program at Colorado Mountain College.[21]

References

  1. ^ Goater, Dan (January 1, 2024). "Wade & Wallow store going strong off Lymington High Street". advertiserandtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  2. ^ Parker, Adam (May 17, 2020). "Local writer pens book on Southern foodways". The Post & Courier. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  3. ^ a b Berry, Mark (October 21, 2013). "A Woman of Letters". College of Charleston Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
  4. ^ a b Pandolfi, Elizabeth (September 17, 2014). "There's a new kind of CSA in town and it's all about pie". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  5. ^ Lanier, Josh (2024). "Females on the Fly: Heather Richie". Rivers & Feathers. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  6. ^ Richie, Heather. "A Cake of Truly Historic Proportions". Garden & Gun. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  7. ^ "Heather Richie". Land Magazine. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  8. ^ "Gastronomica". 10 March 2015. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  9. ^ "College of Charleston Alumni". 2020. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  10. ^ "SSSL" (PDF). 2016. Retrieved 2025-08-17.
  11. ^ "TU Dublin". 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  12. ^ Richie, Heather (March 31, 2019). "Knowing What You Know". Blue Water Sailing. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  13. ^ Richie, Heather (January 30, 2026). "When is a frozen fish not frozen?". Irish Examiner (Letter to the editor). Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  14. ^ "Female Fly Fishing Guide Scholarships Create New Outdoor Industry Opportunities for Women". Education At Elevation. March 21, 2022. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
  15. ^ "A Hidden Treasure". Hampshire Life Magazine. February 2024. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  16. ^ "Autistic Barbie Is a Step Forward for Disability Representation". Good Housekeeping. January 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  17. ^ "Autism Friendly Connemara". Visit Connemara. Retrieved 2026-03-03.
  18. ^ Richie, Heather (21 May 2020). Full: A Slim Volume on Southern Foodways. Aisling Collective Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-9800024-9-2. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  19. ^ Richie, Heather. The Delphi Salmon Company. Aisling Books. ISBN 978-0-9792994-3-8. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
  20. ^ "American Library Association". Retrieved 2025-08-04.
  21. ^ "Reeling In The Female Fly Fishing Guide Scholarships". Education At Elevation. June 10, 2021. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
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