Robert Isenberg

With Us Since
2023
Photo of Robert Isenberg
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Location
Providence, Rhode Island
School
University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University
Expertise
Bicycle Touring, Ecotourism, Backpacking
  • Robert worked as a journalist for two years in Costa Rica, penning nearly 500 articles about local people and institutions for The Tico Times.
  • He once rode buses through the former Yugoslavia in search of a Bosnian refugee he'd known in high school, a journey he documented in his first published book, "The Archipelago: A Balkan Passage."
  • His first feature-length documentary, "The Trail," was about cycling the Great Allegheny Passage from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. It has aired several times on public television station WQED.

Experience

Robert has worked as a freelance writer and multimedia producer for more than two decades. He grew up in rural Vermont and spent 16 years in Pittsburgh, where he served as a contributing editor for Pittsburgh Magazine and a regular art critic for City Paper. Robert honed his backpacking skills as a student on Semester at Sea, and he has since written about travel for a wide range of outlets, including BBC Travel, Longreads, Trivago, and Lonely Planet guidebooks. An avid bikepacker, Robert has written about bicycle journeys for Momentum Magazine and Adventure Cyclist. His films have been screened all over the world, and his proudest honor was an award for Best Documentary Director from the Block Island Film Festival. He now lives in Rhode Island, where he contributes lifestyle stories to Providence Monthly and community profiles for Jewish Rhode Island.

Education

Robert earned his B.A. in creative writing from the University of Pittsburgh and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Chatham University, where he served as Whitford Fellow, the program's highest honor.

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Stories By Robert Isenberg