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Award-Winning Indie Journalist, Author, and Podcaster

I’m Adam Skolnick, and I’ve been telling stories for a living for over twenty years. Stories that I hope pierce your bubble, expand your sense of self, and the mysteries and possibilities at our fingertips. I tell these kinds of stories — on the page and on the mic — because I’m drawn to them. Because I need to remember.

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Adam Skolnick Podcaster and author speaking on a microphone with a laptop in front of him

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Preorder American Tiger

My debut novel, AMERICAN TIGER, hits shelves December 2, available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

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Author

Books

I didn’t start out writing books, but books were always one of my goals, and I’ve written my share. From travel guides to poetry, from narrative nonfiction to memoir.

I’ve worked with major publishers, and I’ve ghostwritten two bestsellers, including one of the most successful self-published books of all time.

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American Tiger
American Tiger
Book Details
Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
Can't Hurt Me
Book Details
Never Finished - Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within
Never Finished
Book Details
One Breath
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One Breath
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One Breath
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One Breath
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Podcaster and Narrator

Podcasts and Audiobooks

The success of the audiobook format of Can’t Hurt Me, which I narrated, opened me up to an entirely new world of storytelling.

Now I’m probably better known for podcasts and audiobooks than I am for the written word.

PodcastsAudiobooks
Rich roll and Adam Skolnick sitting together on a grey sofa

Endorsements

"Adam Skolnick is a great under-appreciated talent whose reporting and books never fail to inform, enlighten and inspire."

Rich Roll portrait
Rich Roll
Rich Roll, bestselling author of Finding Ultra, host of the Rich Roll Podcast

"Adam was the only one who could figure out my voice, which isn't easy to do! He knows how to get a story across without wasting words. He keeps things real, and that shows up in his writing"

David Googins Portrait
David Goggins
US Navy SEAL, ultra endurance athlete, world record holder, bestselling author.

"Adam Skolnick is a tireless investigator of the human experience. He thinks like a detective and writes like a dream."

David Googins Portrait
Elizabeth Gilbert
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, City of Girls, All The Way To The River, and Big Magic
Journalist

Published by The New York Times, the BBC and Wired

Long before I ever became an author, I was a 28-year-old at a career crossroads, with few prospects. But I had a dream. I wanted to write my way around the world.

I started by approaching local and regional magazines, pitching ideas (sometimes through snail mail!) that I hoped would hit. And they did. Sporadically. The successes didn’t come easy (most of my pitches wound up in a slush pile that would forever go unread), and the pay wasn’t much, but I kept at it. Gradually, I learned the business (and how to stay out of the slush pile) and my persistence paid off. 
‍
Twenty-some years later, I’ve written for The New York Times, Outside, Lonely Planet, Playboy, BBC, Wired, Travel + Leisure, and many others. And I achieved my goal. I’ve written my way around the world — through 50-some countries on six continents — and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Of the hundreds of articles I’ve published over the years, these are my favorites.

Tsambagarav Mountain the summer base camp of Shaaimurat Askhabil
Travel + Leisure
Travel

The Empty Vessel

Our late model Landcruiser bumped along two wheel tracks toward the largest complex of sand dunes in Mongolia.
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Dawna Range, Karen State
Pacific Standard
Human Rights

Touring A Fractured State

The ceremony began before 7 a.m. at the spirit house, built near the base of a massive shade tree.
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The Doctor, The Dictator, And The Deadly Mosquito Article artwork
Mens Health
Human Rights

The Doctor, The Dictator, And The Deadly Mosquito

Saving lives in the jungle of death.
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Bio

About me

I was born and raised in Southern California and have lived here most of my life. In that way I am a hometown kid, forever inspired by the coastal mountains, and the Pacific Ocean.

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Adam Skolnick in a dark Studio with laptop

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