I’ve published numerous creative non-fiction pieces over the last 40 or so years, including two books with my students. I taught creative writing in high school for many years, focusing on fiction, poetry, as well as creative non-fiction, including memoir. As a college student I wrote feature articles regularly for the Daily Californian, UC Berkeley’s award-winning student newspaper, and have taught journalism units in my English classes.

My most regular creative non-fiction writing outlets have been the numerous blogs I’ve created over the years, including:

• Chukar Culture: a literary/cultural exploration of one of the longest-running of my many passions in life, focusing heavily on (and often starring) the four Brittanys with whom I’ve had the pleasure of sharing my life since 2000.
• Mr. McMichael: My Life As An English Teacher: being a middle/high school teacher is probably the most meaningful, intense thing I’ve ever done, and I’m proud of what I did with and for my students, much of which is documented here, along with some thoughts about public education and why I think it’s important.
• The Virtual Bob McMichael: my first blog ever, featuring a random assortment of essays and reflections on everything from ticks to Grete Waitz.
• Hells Canyon Beer: I created this blog in about 2015 to channel my excitement about getting back into home-brewing beer, something I’m still passionate about.
• Eurovan Info: our road-trip and camping dream vehicle, which we’d planned to keep for a long time but didn’t — this blog featured many DIY upgrade and refurbishment projects as well as road trip and camping reports. Even though we (sadly) sold the van a long time ago, I still get questions regularly from people who found it and want advice on how to fix something.
• McMichael Piping: even though this is primarily a website to promote myself as a professional bagpiper, it features a blog section with pieces I’ve written about piping.
• Scalding Unguents: Notes on the Darkness: this is my most recent “blog,” and is something of a departure for me, and not necessarily for everyone.

Blogs aren’t considered by many to be “legitimate” writerly endeavors. I strongly disagree with this viewpoint, but I’ve also had success for a long time getting my writing in print (beginning well before the Internet and blogging became a permanent fixture of our lives). Below are a few of my creative non-fiction printed publications.

• Let My Horse Bring Me Home: A Salubria Valley, Idaho Oral History. Written by my 8th-grade class and edited/published by me in 2017. A video excerpting the interviews accompanies the book.
• “Angus,” Gray’s Sporting Journal, August 2015. This is a chapter in a forthcoming memoir focused on bird dogs and upland hunting.
• “Habitats of the Heartland: The Uncertain Future of the Ring-necked Pheasant,” Boise Journal Fall 2001. Research-based conservation and natural resources essay.
• “Sturgeon Ahoy!” National Geographic Traveler, April 2001. Travel adventure piece about fishing for huge sturgeon in the Columbia River Gorge.
• “Roads Less Traveled,” Northern California Explore, March/April 2000. Travel piece on a California river corridor.