Wright, Alison 1961–

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Wright, Alison 1961–

PERSONAL:

Born December 23, 1961, in Summit, NJ; daughter of Frank (a research chemist) and Sonia (a flight attendant) Wright. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Attended Pepperdine University; Syracuse University, B.F.A., 1983; University of California, Berkeley, M.A., 1993.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—San Francisco, CA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Photographer and writer, 1980—. Geographic Expeditions, tour leader, 1998—.

MEMBER:

Society of American Travel Writers, American Society of Media Photographers, American Society of Picture Professionals.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Dorothea Lange Award in documentary photography, 1993, for photographs of child labor in Asia; Lowell Thomas travel journalism award, 2002.

WRITINGS:

The Spirit of Tibet: Portrait of a Culture in Exile (photographs), Snow Lion (Ithaca, NY) 1998.

(Coauthor) A Simple Monk: Writings on His Holiness the Dalai Lama, New World Library (Novato, CA), 2001.

Faces of Hope: Children of a Changing World, New World Library (Novato, CA), 2003.

Also contributor of photographs and photographic essays to periodicals around the world.

SIDELIGHTS:

Alison Wright once told CA: "I am a freelance photojournalist based in San Francisco. I specialize in documenting the traditions and changes of endangered people in remote areas around the world. I want to give a voice to people who otherwise may not have one: children, refugees, land mine victims.

"I have published photographic essays on medicinal healers in the Amazon rain forests, the hill tribes of Southeast Asia, Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, Burmese refugees in Thailand, Marco Polo's footsteps across the ‘silk road’ of China and Pakistan, as well as life in the outback of Australia, where I lived for two years. I was based in Nepal for four years, where I documented the plight of children for Unicef and various other aid organizations. I have lived with exiled Tibetans in Nepal and India for over a decade, recording their culture and the challenges which exile has brought. I also lead photographic and cultural tours to Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan."