Anthropologist, author + journalist Shoshi Parks

I'm an award-winning SF Bay Area-based writer and editor fascinated by the geography, ecology and cultures of our world.

As a Ph.D. in Anthropology, I've been trained to observe and tell unique stories. I'm especially interested in revealing perspectives on the past that fall outside of mainstream history books and the local, national and global food traditions that inform community identities. I also frequently write about the natural world, the changing climate, and other science-based topics.

My work appears regularly at PopSci (Popular Science Magazine), Smithsonian Magazine, Discover Magazine, Atlas Obscura, Bon Appetit, Yes! Magazine, Fodor’s and a variety of other publications. I am also the executive editor at the San Francisco lifestyle magazine, 7x7.

Find a handful of recent articles below. For additional samples of my work, please contact me.

Journalist

editor

AUTHOR

The Human Zoo

Arriving early 2027 from Beacon Press and Penguin Randomhouse

buffalo bill's wild west show

In 1889, Paris Became Obsessed with the Wild West

PopSci Magazine

How the U.S. Almost Became a Nation of Hippo Ranchers

Smithsonian magazine

Ants May Amputate Other Ants to Save Them – Is This a Sign of Empathy?

Discover Magazine

Enduring the Promise Land

hidden Compass

2023 Solas Awards, Gold in Adventure Travel Category

The Struggle With Altitude Sickness in the Ecuadorian Andes is Real

Fodor’s Travel

The Spirits Industry is Broken, But a Sustainable Revolution is Coming

Trip savvy

terrapin_wide-4921059eb6b461230974f5756df2dcb7663050c4-s1600-c85.jpg

Our Taste for Turtle Soup Nearly Wiped Out Terrapins. Then Prohibition Saved Them.

NPR

Haa'ku, Acoma Pueblo

A Route 66 Road Trip Through Indigenous Homelands

YES! Magazine, Summer 2019

2020 National Native Media Awards, Best Print Feature Story, Second Place

york and lewis and clark.jpg

What the Color “Haint Blue” Means to the Descendants of Enslaved Africans

ATLAS obscura