Occupation Writer | Education San Jose State University | |
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Coho fishing on the quinault river with john bryson jr and tom stienstra
Tom Stienstra is an American author, outdoorsman and columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. He has written several guide books for California, the Pacific Northwest and America. He has also won awards.
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Early life
Stienstra was raised and educated in Palo Alto, California. He received his degree in journalism from San Jose State University. Later he began to work as a sports reporter for the Palo Alto Times. In 1979, when Palo Alto Times merged with the Redwood City Tribune and became the Peninsula Times Tribune, Stienstra was promoted to sports columnist.
Career
Stienstra published his first story at age 8, "Searching for a Lost Friend," in the Palo Alto Times. After a failed professional baseball tryout, he turned to his ability to deliver words rather than a baseball. He was hired to write about the outdoors for the San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle in 1980.
Works
Stienstra has written many books. Among them is Moon California Camping, in its 19th edition, the best-selling and longest running outdoor guidebook series in America and Moon Pacific Northwest Camping, a No. 1 bestseller. His novel is The Sweet Redemption, An Inspector Korg Mystery.
Stienstra writes, records and produces the radio feature, "Great Outdoors," which appears on KCBS-San Francisco.
Awards
In 2015, Stienstra became America's first outdoors writer to win "The President's Award" as "Best of the Best" for the fourth time from the Outdoor Writers Association of America, when he won best story of the year in the Newspaper Newspaper/Website division at the organization's annual awards banquet in Knoxville. The winning entry was “Paddling with giants,” published in the August 5, 2014 editions of the San Francisco Chronicle. To become a finalist for the President's Award, that story won first place in the Outdoor Fun and Adventure Category of the Newspaper/Website Contest. He is one of OWAA's most awarded members, and in 2009, he won first place for best outdoors column in America.
Stienstra was the fourth living member inducted into California Outdoors Hall of Fame.
In 2005, he won first place in the nation for best outdoor recreation radio show. He hosted the television show "Great Outdoors with Tom Stienstra", which aired on KCBS in San Francisco-San Jose and Sacramento. In 2006, the show "Land of Smoke" won first place for best outdoor recreation show in America by the Outdoor Writers Association of America.