Colleen Thompson is a writer, photographer, based between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Wilmington, North Carolia. She favors food Writer. Photographer. Raconteur Colleen Thompson Born and raised in sun-soaked South Africa, Colleen Thompson is an award-winning writer and photographer whose career spans continents, cultures, and more than 1,000 bylines. She is based between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Wilmington, North Carolina—two coastal places that continue to shape her work and worldview. Colleen currently writes, edits, photographs, plans, sources, and develops content for a wide range of U.S. and Canadian print magazines, newspapers, digital publications, and private clients. She is also the Editor in Chief of Cape Fear Living Magazine, where she leads editorial vision and long-form storytelling rooted in place, people, and culture. In 2019, she received a Folio Award for Editorial Excellence for her feature “Strength & Perseverance: The Shackleford Banks Wild Horses,” and from 2020 through 2024 served as a judge for the Eddie & Ozzie Publishing Awards. Her first book, Monkey Weddings & Summer Sapphires, was published in August 2020. Her contributions to food writing and culinary culture have been recognized internationally. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International and, in 2024, was inducted into La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the International Association of Gastronomy. A qualified wine sommelier, she holds the distinction of Cape Wine Master. Colleen’s path to storytelling began with a degree in Theatre Arts, followed by an early career in publishing at the politically charged Tribute Magazine during the turbulent years of apartheid in Johannesburg. Learning alongside journalists and photographers who risked everything to tell the truth instilled in her a deep respect for narrative, integrity, and the power of the written word. She went on to become a features writer for multiple consumer lifestyle publications before rising to editor—and eventually publisher—of South Africa’s largest-selling pop culture magazine, Top Forty. For more than a decade, she interviewed over 150 international musicians and bands, from The Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson to Depeche Mode and Coldplay. In 2004, Colleen returned to university to earn a degree in Environmental Science, allowing her to unite her love of storytelling with her passion for oceans, coastal ecosystems, and environmental stewardship. In 2006, she relocated to Canada and joined the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Nova Scotia. As part of the Coastal Division, she researched and authored The Gulf of Maine in Context and The Scotian Shelf in Context for the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Gulf of Maine Council. Food, cooking, and wine have always threaded through her life, but it was in Nova Scotia—amid wild coastlines, foraged ingredients, and a deep connection to the sea—that they found their truest expression. Following warmth and water south, she later discovered Wilmington, North Carolina, where ancient live oaks draped in Spanish moss, layered Southern foodways, and the history of the Cape Fear River echo the scents and sensations of her childhood—jasmine, honeysuckle, and gardenias. Colleen now splits her time between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Wilmington, North Carolina, continually drawn to places where land meets sea, stories are rooted in culture, and light is always worth chasing.

Colleen Thompson is a writer, photographer and editor for print & digital media. She favours food, loves the art of a crafted cocktail. She is based between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Wilmington, North Carolina COLLEEN THOMPSON WRITER.PHOTOGRAPHER. RACONTEUR TELLING STORIES. TAKING PICTURES Colleen Thompson is a writer and photographer drawn to stories rooted in place—told through food, travel, and the landscapes that shape how we live. She writes about food and where it comes from, exploring how it connects us to land, culture, and one another, and how it quietly shapes our lives. Her work often lingers over wild edibles and foraging, the poetry of a well-crafted cocktail, and the human stories that unfold around a table or along the road. A qualified wine sommelier, Colleen approaches wine without pomp or pretense, favoring authenticity over ceremony and the stories behind the glass. Her travel writing is grounded in curiosity and deep respect for place, whether she’s following flavors across regions, documenting remote coastlines, or capturing the everyday rhythms of life far from home. She is happiest near a wild stretch of coastline and is perpetually searching for new beaches where land and water meet in unguarded ways. When she’s not on assignment, Colleen can usually be found writing, cooking, beekeeping, foraging, photographing, and chasing the light.

The art of a crafted libation and the storytelling that often accompanies inspires Colleen's work.  From exploring the history behind iconic spirits and developing cocktail recipes to interviewing mixology masters and sipping with innovators behind the world finest craft distilleries.  Colleen Thompson Writer. Photographer. Raconteur Libations The art of a crafted cocktail and the storytelling that often accompanies it, inspires a large portion of Colleen's work. She is a wine sommelier, who loves exploring the history of wineries and distilleries. She develops cocktail recipes for several publications, including New York drinks bible - Chilled Magazine. She can be found interviewing and spending time with winemakers, distillers, mixology masters and libation innovators, or creating her own cocktails using wild edibles and exotic teas. Beyond Terroir Wild About Gin Buzz-Free Bevies Add Some Punch Tis Apple Season Sparkling Wines of Summer Zero Proof A True Expression of Rioja An Augmented Wine Reality North Carolina Bourbon.png JOLO Vineyards Wine Making Through a Pandemic North Carolina Gins You Should Be Sipping Heroines of the Cork A Pride of Place Future Looks Bright Chef Ludo's Tasing Menu Swapping Poltics For Spirits Uncorking NC Wines Crooked Fox Pina Coladas Iteration of Pink A Japanese Philosophy Beyond Taste Broken Shed Vodka Tea Cocktails

I eat, I drink, and I explore food and its culture. From cheesemakers and chocolatiers to the art of salt and time in charcuterie or delving into the history of fruit cake. Some people like to call this ‘food journalism’. I have yet to find a better descriptor. Colleen Thompson Writer. Photographer. Raconteur Food + Flavors I eat, I drink, and I explore food and its culture. From cheesemakers and chocolatiers to the art of salt and time in charcuterie or delving into the history of fruit cake. Some people like to call it ‘food journalism’. I have yet to find a better descriptor. Lessons From the Tide Ephemeral & Fleeting A Sweet Taste of Greek Christmas Eating With Purpose Rooted in Community North Carolina Cheesemakers Dining In -- In Style Cooking With Fire Foodie Destination Carb Up World of Flavours Carolina Culinary Culture Beloved Cookie Recipes Say Cheese & Cheers Just Add Food Briny Bivalves Get On Board The Maverick Chef Sweet As Honey Seabird Flying High Blue Passion Aztecs to Instagram We Cannot Tell A Lie We Love Cherries Carolina BBQ Gospel SALT

Colleen brings years of experienced, authentic storytelling and powerful imagery to each and every one of her features. Whether she's following wild horses on remote barrier islands; walking in the woods foraging for mushrooms; cooking with immigrants in their kitchens or talking to artisan creators Colleen Thompson Writer. Photographer. Raconteur Travel Colleen’s travel writing is rooted in experience, curiosity, and a deep sense of place. With years of storytelling behind her, she approaches each assignment not as a visitor passing through, but as a careful observer—listening closely to the landscapes and the people who give them life. Whether tracking wild horses on remote barrier islands, foraging for mushrooms in dense forests, cooking alongside immigrants in their home kitchens, or sitting down with award-winning chefs, her work captures travel as something lived, not simply seen. Through authentic reporting and evocative imagery, Colleen’s features reveal the cultural threads and human stories that connect us, wherever the journey leads. Riding High in Ocala An Oasis of Luxury City of Palms Escapism & Mouthwatering Stays Savor & Sip a Sense of Place in Mt. Airy Picking Threads of Gold Artful Living in Savannah A Winston-Salem Weekender Iconic Pinehurst Migratory Journeys Flower City in Fall An Urban Retreat in the Queen City Hilton Head Health Greenville, SC, Stepping Up to the Plate Strength & Perseverance Roanoke Rising

Colleen brings years of experienced, authentic storytelling and powerful imagery to each and every one of her features. Whether she's following wild horses on remote barrier islands; walking in the woods foraging for mushrooms; cooking with immigrants in their kitchens or talking to artisan creators Colleen Thompson Writer. Photographer. Raconteur Features + Faces Colleen brings years of experience, authentic storytelling, and powerful imagery to every feature she writes. Her travel journalism captures the spirit of place and the people who shape it—whether she’s tracking wild horses on remote barrier islands, foraging for mushrooms in dense forests, cooking alongside immigrants in their home kitchens, or interviewing award-winning chefs. Her work blends curiosity, cultural insight, and a deep respect for the stories that connect us. Sturgeon Dreams Room For One More Picking Threads of Gold Breaking Bread: Bruce Guthro Where Chef's Eat Keeper of the Flock A Cut Above Straight From the Source Home with Donna Sparks A Life in the Clouds Blue Passion Migratory Journeys No Food Left Behind The Power of Giving Carolina BBQ Gospel I Like it Here Club Tea with Mie Mie Salt.Air.Time Mexicali Blues Carolina Fimmakers Treasures of the Forest Half United Finnish Pulla The Green Swamp Strength & Perseverance

In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ​ Amid a world and in a time that so readily gives us reasons to despair, the golden hour, on a wild walk, is still the most reliable wellspring of light. ​ Shimmering days seemingly help dissipate the self-involvement with which we humans often live through our turbulent times. Colleen Thompson Writer. Photographer. Raconteur South In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. Amid a world and in a time that so readily gives us reasons to despair, the golden hour, on a wild walk, is still the most reliable wellspring of light. Shimmering days seemingly help dissipate the self-involvement with which we humans often live through our turbulent times.

I take photographs to convey a sense of place. Images that tell their own stories and stir emotion. Images with roots. For me, food is one of the greatest storytellers, whether in the form of a recipe, freshly picked fruit or wild edible. Colleen Thompson Writer. Photographer. Raconteur Photography I take photographs to evoke a sense of place. Images that tell their own stories and stir emotions. Images with roots. For me, food is one of the greatest storytellers, whether in the form of a recipe, a freshly picked piece of fruit or a wild edible foraged in a forest. The harbinger of the seasons, captured in a moment. I am happiest in wild, open spaces and I spend a lot of time chasing the light. Fortunately, where I live in, there is no shortage of wild coastline and magical light. SHACK LIFE SANCTUARY SUGARED SEEDED SHIMMER SHOWCASED

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In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ​ Amid a world and in a time that so readily gives us reasons to despair, the golden hour, on a wild walk, is still the most reliable wellspring of light. ​ Shimmering days seemingly help dissipate the self-involvement with which we humans often live through our turbulent times. Colleen Thompson Writer. Photographer. Raconteur Shimmer In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. Amid a world and in a time that so readily gives us reasons to despair, the golden hour, on a wild walk, is still the most reliable wellspring of light. Shimmering days seemingly help dissipate the self-involvement with which we humans often live through our turbulent times.

Endlessly fascinating to me. I stand as a complete outsider. Peering into this complex, spirit-driven culture. Where people are still passionate and unashamedly open about their faith. I am merely chasing the light. Taking photographs. Colleen Thompson Writer. Photographer. Raconteur Sanctuary Distinctly Southern. It's just there," said William Faulkner in explaining why religion appeared so often in his novels and stories. . A tangible part of the Southern landscape. . Endlessly fascinating to me. I stand as a complete outsider. Peering into this complex, spirit-driven culture. Where people are still passionate and unashamedly open about their faith. I am merely chasing the light.