Husband/father/brother/son. Writer/Teacher/Editor/Artist/School Administrator. Originally from suburbs of northeast Ohio (Go Bucks!), now living off-grid in the woods of southwest Oregon (Go Ducks!). I teach the GED class at my local community college in the Adult Basic Skills department, and also started a small press (visit leftfork.org). When I make time I write books and things. I don't update my website much but you can find more about me at www.ryanforsythe.com. I also kept a blog when my wife and ran the Redwood National Park Hostel, and it's still here: https://redwoodhostel.wordpress.com. (Did I mention I make banana slug mandalas? I don't think I did. I make banana slug mandalas.)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Had the opportunity to travel when I was a tad younger, including working aboard ship with Semester at Sea for 100 days. I met my wife while working at a hostel (and got married there) and a few years later (and after more travels), we managed a different hostel for 4 years. Had a 1-to-5 year old working with us those 4 years, and a second who was born at home at the hostel just before we closed up shop (in 2010). But it's been a while since adventuring days, and now we want to show our boys (ages 9 and 14) the world. Come September, we're taking them out of school for the academic year and hitting the road. We hope couchsurfing will be a way to connect to people and share the amazing people and places of the wold with our children.

Interests

• reading
• hiking
• reading books
• creative writing
• making books

Music, Movies, and Books

As a writer, I'm reading all the time (yes, when I should be writing). Hard to pin down to one, but favorite author is probably Percival Everett.

Favorite movies are generally any that play with the nature of reality and perception (think The Matrix, Inception, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, Fight Club, etc.).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Proud to say I got to be a part of the Voice of Witness book series, which presents oral accounts of human rights abuses and struggles. "Invisible Hands: Voices From the Global Economy" features the stories of the people who toil behind the scenes to make various products all over the world. The book includes an interview I conducted while in Guatemala (and later edited) with a woman who spent her life working on a coffee plantation.

BONUS: Built a treehouse (with help, of course) for my boys' bedroom, so they can say they grew up living in a treehouse.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have designed and published more than 35 books, so for anyone who's wondering where to begin in getting your book in the world, I'm happy to share my experiences.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Happy to cook meals, play board games or cards (Hearts anyone?), tell stories, drink wine or beer with you (or coffee or tea or...), and/or professionally proofread and edit your documents.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bahamas, Canada, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States