Peter Heller is an award-winning adventure writer and author. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in both fiction and poetry. He is a longtime contributor to NPR and a former contributing editor at Outside Magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure.

Born and raised in New York, Heller attended high school in Vermont and Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he developed a passion for the outdoors and whitewater kayaking. Heller traveled the world as an expedition kayaker, documenting challenging descents in various regions, including the Pamirs and the Tien Shan mountains.

His writing has earned him numerous accolades, including a Michener fellowship for his epic poem "The Psalms of Malvine." Heller has worked in diverse roles, from dishwasher to offshore fisherman, and river guide to pizza deliverer. His experiences have been captured in works like Set Free in China, Sojourns on the Edge.

Heller's notable nonfiction books include The Whale Warriors and Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River. He has also authored acclaimed novels such as The Dog Stars, The Painter, and The River. His work has been celebrated for its gripping narratives and has received several awards.

Heller currently resides in Denver, Colorado.