Kate Chynoweth

Kate Chynoweth hails from New Hampshire, where she grew up among back-to-the-land Quakers. Somewhere between enduring her mother's solstice parties and watching her father tour the countryside with a donkey during bids for Democratic office, she learned to see the funnier side of life. In 2004, an especially ridiculous episode in her career as a freelance food and travel writer led her to create and edit The Risks of Sunbathing Topless: And Other Funny Stories from the Road (Seal Press), an anthology that Publishers Weekly described as "frisky and fun" with "a good dose of humor." Her irreverent essays have appeared in numerous other books, including Women Who Eat and Go Your Own Way. She's the author of The Bridesmaid Guide: A Guide to Etiquette, Parties, and Being Fabulous (Chronicle Books) and her cheeky advice for brides and maids has appeared in InStyle, Elegant Bride, and elsewhere. She wrote several guidebooks in the travel series Best Places to Kiss (Sasquatch Books) and her work appears in magazines such as Real Simple, Seattle, and Sunset. She is currently the Food Editor of Pittsburgh magazine.