Mr. Brill, a former journalism and creative-writing instructor, has served as editor of five national publications and has written a weekly series for broadcast on national cable television. He served as director of communications for the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment (ISSE), retiring in late 2011.
Mr. Brill’s articles have appeared in more than 20 national magazines, including National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Health, Parenting, FamilyFun, Bicycling, Backpacker, American Way, Outside, America, Campus Voice, Special Report, Writer’s Digest, and Economic Edge.
Mr. Brill’s latest book, Desire and Ice: Searching for Perspective atop Denali, was published by National Geographic Adventure Press in November 2002. The book is an account of the author’s 2001 ascent of 20,320-foot Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America and one of the coldest mountains on Earth.
His second book, A Separate Place: A Father’s Reflections on Building a Home and Renewing a Family, was published by Plume (imprint of Penguin) in July 2001. His first book, As Far as the Eye Can See: Reflections of an Appalachian Trail Hiker, is a collection of essays based on his five-month, 2,100-mile trek of the Appalachian Trail. The book, published by Rutledge Hill Press in 1990, was released in paperback in December 2001 by the Appalachian Trail Conference and is now in its fifth printing.
Education
- M.A., Journalism, Ball State University
- B.A., English/Political Science, Indiana University
Selected Publications:
- Cumberland Odyssey: A Journey in Pictures and Words along Tennessee's Cumberland Trail and Plateau (Mountain Trail Press). With photographer Bill Campbell, the author explores the natural and cultural history of the Cumberland Trail and Plateau. August 2010.
- "Wild Game, Wild Times on Hooper Bald," Smokies Life. Article about the alien invader Sus scofa, the Russian wild boar, which escaped its confines in North Carolina and began to colonize Great Smoky Mountains National Park 60 years ago. Forthcoming.
- "H.C. Wilburn, the Smokies' Premier Historian," Smokies Life. A study of the life and times of Hiram Wilburn, the Smokies’ first historian and the individual most responsible for preserving many of the park’s enduring artifacts. Forthcoming."
- "A Reluctant 'Ultra' Tackles the Smokies' Mountains to Sea Trail," Smokies Life. Narrative account of the author’s marathon (15-hour, 27-mile) trek of the Mountains to Sea Trail in the Smokies, much of it at night. Spring 2010.
- "A Time of War; A Time of Peace," Smokies Life. Story on the conscientious objector camp situated near the current Sugarlands Visitor Center that housed more than 100 COs during World War II. Fall 2009.
- "Nocturnal Missions," Metro Pulse. Essay on the joys of exploring the wilderness under the cover of darkness. October 8, 2009.
- "Hiking the Smokies' AT," Smokies Life. Narrative account of the author’s trek of the 72 miles of the Appalachian Trail through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Spring 2009.
David Brill
