Eclecticism Meets Versatility
Martha Retallick is an award-winning documentary photographer and writer. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Michigan and has done additional coursework in graphic design and building and construction technologies at Pima Community College.
Martha’s eclectic life experiences include bicycling through all 50 of the United States, plus a bit of Mexico and Canada, and publishing two books about her adventures. While pedaling more than 15,000 miles, Martha met such on-the-road challenges as traversing the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains and the Southwestern deserts. She also experienced many off-the-bike adventures, including a visit to former President Jimmy Carter’s residence, a brief stint as a Kansas wheat farmer, and a night in an Arkansas jail; she was looking for a place to stay in a small town, and the police chief offered floor space in the visitors’ room.
In addition, Martha has helped to produce two different magazines, volunteered to rebuild houses damaged during Hurricane Katrina, and created an urban water harvesting oasis.
Martha’s publishing credits include articles in The Washington Post, Edible Baja Arizona, and Michigan Today.
In addition to her workaday activities, Martha is:
- Mastering the art of mead making. A combination of water, honey, and yeast, mead is the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage.
- Monitoring Tucson weather with RainLog.org, CoCoRaHS, and the National Weather Service’s SkyWarn program.
- Making sculptures and collages with found objects.