About/Bio

I'm Michelle — or just M.

A writer, travel essayist, and photographer living between Truckee, California, and Vagliagli, Italy, in the hills of Chianti. I've been writing since I learned how to hold a pencil. Most of it composes itself in my head first — stacking words, so many words — long before it ever reaches a page.

My current work lives on Substack, where I am releasing my first memoir, The House at the Town's End, chapter by chapter alongside Field Notes — photographs, watercolors, and fragments that arrive before the prose.

In a past life, I taught fourth and sixth-grade ESL students how to write, and felt real joy teaching first graders how to read. I have also sold cameras, shot weddings, and taught photography. The wandering has taken many forms.

I am currently seeking a publisher for the memoir. Freelance inquiries are welcome — please reach out via the contact page or at elle.townsendm@gmail.com.

This life is to wander.

— M

Contact:

Please get in touch with me personally via my contact page or elle.townsendm@gmail.com

*I am currently available for freelance content writing projects. For more information, please see LinkedIn.

This is me. Uncomfortable in front of the camera. Always.