Josh Powell

When not at the keyboard, you might find me at the barn. I've been riding horses since I was a child and have owned them for years—there's something about being around these animals that keeps me grounded. I also tried my hand at sheep farming once. It's not easy. Let's leave it at that.

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I'm a wannabe gourmet cook (emphasis on wannabe, though I keep trying), an avid reader, a skier when the mountains call, and a traveler whenever possible.

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My education took me through the State University of New York system, where I studied liberal arts, human services, and public health at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. That mix of humanities and health sciences shaped how I see the world—and how I write about it.

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I've been fortunate to put that background to work in ways that matter. I founded the first and largest scholarship for LGBTQ high school students heading to college in Upstate New York. I co-founded The Race For Hope, a 5K that raised tens of thousands of dollars for people and families affected by brain tumors. I've served on boards including the Albany City School's Health Advisory Committee, the Eastern New York Dressage and Combined Training Association, Hospitality House, and NABA. I've volunteered as a literacy tutor.

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Professionally, I served as CEO of Capital Region Special Surgery in Upstate New York—one of the area's largest and first multi-specialty clinics focused on head, neck, and spine conditions, including ENT, sleep medicine, neurosurgery, neurology, pain management, and imaging. More recently, I worked as a project director at Columbia University's HEALing Communities Study. After that, I moved to Portugal for a while. Highly recommended.

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Through all of it, I've kept writing. It's the thread that connects everything.