ABOUT
Attention is the beginning of devotion. — Mary Oliver
Hi Ya’ll!
I’m a writer and creative guide located 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. A forthcoming four-part guidebook series is in the worsks! The first one—Appalachian Trail through Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee— is slated to release in Spring of 2026.
But my passions stretch beyond trailheads and gear. I’m pursuing an MFA in Creative 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 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.
She is 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. Her writing has been featured in Smoky Mountain Living, Mountain Xpress, She Explores, The Trek.
Amber’s path to guiding others began by working in the outdoor industry, outfitting adventurers and teaching backcountry skills. She is a certified yoga teacher and founder of Elder & Co., a ritual candle company rooted in Appalachian landscapes. Blending these experiences with training in Ayurveda, herbalism, and energy healing, she now helps others root and walk toward the life they imagine.
Her work speaks to women who feel constrained by their current circumstances—those caught between staying and leaving, between holding it together and falling apart. Through trail guidebooks, memoir, and movement practice, she offers a message: your mess isn't something to escape. It's the material– the clay on the wheel, the dirt where roots grow.
She lives in a log cabin in Marshall, North Carolina with her husband, Joshua Niven, and their three children. The Nivens run a small private retreat called Camp Happy Mundo and Asheville Fine Art Printing.
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.
