Earl Swift began writing for a living in his teens. In the years since, the Virginia-based journalist has penned seven books and hundreds of major features for newspapers and magazines, and has earned a reputation for fast-moving narrative and scrupulous reporting. His editors have nominated his work for the National Book Award, the National Magazine Award, and seven times for a Pulitzer Prize.
A former Fulbright fellow in New Zealand, Swift has been a fellow of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities at the University of Virginia since 2012. He and his 26-year-old daughter, Saylor, are neighbors in the Blue Ridge mountains west of Charlottesville.