About

Bill Thorness

Hi, I’m your host, Bill Thorness. Thanks for visiting my site.

I am a Seattle-based author, editor and freelance writer who currently focuses on travel and lifestyle topics. History is an emerging passion for me, and in a new memoir in production, I cross continents and history to retrace my father’s steps on the battlefields of World War II. “All Roads Lead to Rome: Searching for the End of My Father’s War” (Potomac Books, University of Nebraska Press, December 2024) tells about restoring a lost bond by learning from significant places, revisiting our history and reckoning with memory.Preorder through Bookshop.org

I’ve written two bicycling guidebooks, two gardening books, a business-leader’s profile and numerous articles for periodicals and web publications. I’m also a veteran book, magazine and web editor, and perform writing and editing duties for corporate clients and publishers. I’ve been working in these fields in Seattle since 1985.

I also give regular presentations and workshops on gardening, bicycling and writing topics. “The Extended Harvest,” my two-hour video class on Craftsy.com teaches many of the edible gardening techniques in my books.


Substack column

Join me on Substack to read my regular column Annotations, which covers memoir, family, history and other topics. Read past entries and subscribe to get each edition delivered to your in-box.


I’m active in a number of organizations, including Master Gardeners, Seattle Tree Fruit Society, Phinney Neighborhood Association, Ballard Food Bank, Plant Amnesty and the King County Seed Lending Library. I’m a former instructor and am currently an advisor for the University of Washington’s Certificate in Editing program.

I was honored with a “Sustainable Hero” award from Sustainable Seattle, primarily for my work on the Solarize Seattle: Northwest campaign, but they were kind enough to mention my books and the work that I’ve done for nonprofit organizations. I also am a recipient of the Maxwell Anderson Alumni Award from my alma mater, the University of North Dakota.

See upcoming talks on my Events and Media page.

See my books and interests on my Amazon Author Page and Goodreads Author Profile.

Follow me on Substack, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram.

Memberships:

Selected periodicals:

  • The Seattle Times
  • Edible Seattle magazine
  • PCC Sound Consumer
  • Seattle Met magazine

Selected clients:

  • Fenwick Publishing
  • FTI Consulting
  • Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas
  • King County Medical Society
  • MarshBerry
  • Mountaineers Books
  • Neibart Group
  • Premera Blue Cross
  • Sasquatch Books
  • University of Washington

Contact

Contact me via email for speaking invitations or more information on my work.