ABOUT
Attention is the beginning of devotion. — Mary Oliver
Hi Ya’ll!
I’m a writer and creative guide weaving words, movement, and the wild rooted in the beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains.
I’ve spent years exploring and writing about the land and the stories it holds. My first book (co-authored with my husband), Discovering the Appalachian Trail: A Guide to the Trail’s Greatest Hikes (Falcon Guides, 2022) launched in 2022. And forthcoming four-part guidebook series is slate to release in 2026. on hiking the Appalachian Trail through Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee is slated to release in Spring of 2026 and is book 1 of a four part series we are working on with Flacon Guides.
But my passions stretch beyond trailheads and gear. I’m pursuing an MFA in Writing at Wilkes University, where I’m working on a memoir that traces my journey from hiker to mother, exploring identity, faith, motherhood, and what happens when things don’t go according to plan.
Alongside my writing, I hold creative and healing spaces for women by weaving writing, movement, and ritual together. With a background in the outdoor industry and over a decade of creative entrepreneurship, I lead with both grit and grounded wisdom, helping others turn creative dreams into lived reality.
Whether on the page, in a circle, or on the trail, my work invites you to slow down, listen deeply, and take the next brave step toward your own wonder-full, creative life.
Come tired, come tender.
There’s room here for all of you.
OFFICIAL BIO
Amber Adams Niven is a mother of three, writer and creative guide rooted in Southern Appalachia. Her work lives at the intersection of motherhood, faith, identity, and the wild paths to wholeness.
She is the co-author of Discovering the Appalachian Trail: A Guide to the Trail’s Greatest Hikes (Falcon Guides, 2022) and the forthcoming Hiking the Appalachian Trail Through Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee (Falcon Guides, 2026). Currently pursuing her MFA in Writing at Wilkes University, Amber is at work on a memoir that explores what it means to root in a place when your spirit longs to roam.
Amber’s path to guiding others began by working in the outdoor industry, where she learned the quiet power of presence and listening the years of outfitting adventurers and teaching backcountry skills taught. While building Elder & Co., a ritual candle company rooted in Appalachian landscapes revealed the magic of creating with her hands and how to persist through uncertainty. Blending these experiences with training in Yoga, Ayurveda, herbalism, and energy healing, she now helps others find their own internal North Star and bravely walk toward the life they imagine.
Her writing has been featured in Smoky Mountain Living, Mountain Xpress, She Explores, The Trek and regional publications. She lives in a log cabin in Marshall, North Carolina with her husband, Joshua Niven, and their three children, River, Indie, and Ezra. The Nivens run a small private retreat called Camp Happy Mundo
Fun fact: Amber starts most Saturdays with pancakes, herbal tea, and old records . . . living proof that the creative process runs best on beauty and ritual.
