Marty Essen is an American naturalist, author, photographer, and professional speaker. He has written eight books, ''Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents,'' ''Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico,'' ''Time Is Irreverent,'' ''Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again!'' ''Time Is Irreverent 3: Gone for 16 Seconds,'' ''Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer,'' ''Doctor Refurb,'' and ''The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles.'' Marty Essen 2015 1 MB

Early life

Essen was born in

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, United States. He attended Duluth East High School and

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the University of Minnesota System. UMD offers 17 bachelor's degrees in 87 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a tw ...

Career

Essen worked as a radio announcer at WEBC-AM and

KQDS-FM KQDS-FM (94.9 Hertz, MHz, "95 KQDS") is a classic rock music formatted radio station located in Duluth, Minnesota. Established in 1976 as KAOH-FM, the station is owned by Midwest Communications, and follows a format similar to that of the wel ...

. In 1982, he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he ran two music talent management agencies, National Talent Associates and Twin City Talent. In 1996, Essen moved to

Victor, Montana Victor is a census-designated place (CDP) in Ravalli County, Montana, United States. The population was 789 at the 2020 Census, compared to 745 at the 2010 census. History Victor is named for Chief Victor of the Bitterroot Salish, whose pro ...

to found Essen Communications Corporation, a local telephone company, and later became an author and a college speaker. His first book, ''Cool Creatures, Hot Planet'', became a ''

Minneapolis Star-Tribune Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 census, it is the state's most populous city. Located in the state's center near the eastern border, it ...

'' Top-10 Green Book. He performs a live college show, ''Around the World in 90 Minutes,'' based on ''Cool Creatures, Hot Planet''. One adventure, documented in both his first book and his live show, is surviving a hippo attack in Zimbabwe. Essen's nature photography is featured prominently in his books and live show. His outdoor photographs are also in Deb Essen's book, ''Easy Weaving with Supplemental Warps: Overshot, Velvet, Shibori, and More''. Magazines publishing his photos include '' Reptiles Magazine'' and ''Handwoven Magazine''. Essen's three nonfiction books advocate for protecting endangered species and the environment, and his five fiction books are comedies that advocate for the protection of human rights and the environment.

Personal life

Essen resides in Victor, Montana and is married to weaving designer and author Deb Essen.

Book awards

* 2006 Foreword Reviews' INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Winner (Bronze) * 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award for Travel/Essay * 2007 IPPY Bronze Medal for Travel/Essay * 2009 Green Book Festival Award for Animals * 2016 Nautilus Award for Animals & Nature (Silver) * 2016 Nautilus Award for Middle Grades Non-Fiction (Silver) * 2016 Readers' Favorite Gold Medal for Non-Fiction Environment * 2024 Indies Today Award for Best Humor Book * 2025 IPPY Gold Medal for Humor * 2025 National Indie Excellence Award for Best Romantic Comedy

Books

* ''Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents'' * ''Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico'' * ''Time Is Irreverent'' * ''Time Is Irreverent 2: Jesus Christ, Not Again!'' * ''Time Is Irreverent 3: Gone for 16 Seconds'' * ''Hits, Heathens, and Hippos: Stories from an Agent, Activist, and Adventurer'' * ''Doctor Refurb'' * ''The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles''

Live Shows

Essen has been touring the United States, performing ''Around the World in 90 Minutes'', at hundreds of colleges since 2007.Marty Essen website, http://martyessen.com/schedule.html, Retrieved 06-12-2016

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essen, Marty American travel writers American non-fiction outdoors writers American naturalists Living people American male non-fiction writers Writers from Montana American nature photographers American photographers People from Duluth, Minnesota People from Victor, Montana Year of birth missing (living people)