Nora Burba Trulsson, Arizona Freelance Writer

More years ago than I care to admit, I fell in love with the desert Southwest and moved to Arizona from Chicago. Since then, I have spent decades (put your calculator away) writing about architecture and design, travel, lifestyle, people, sustainability  and other topics for local, regional and national publications and websites. I’ve been on the founding editorial teams for Phoenix Home & Garden, Southwest Passages and Sources+Design magazines, and have co-authored three design books–Desert Southwest (Bantam Books), Desert Southwest Gardens(Bantam Books) and Living Homes: Sustainable Architecture and Design (Chronicle Books).

As an Arizona travel writer, I’ve covered topics from the wild burros that roam the streets of Oatman and the murky history of the chimichanga to the grandeur of the Grand Canyon and volunteerism at Arizona’s beloved state parks. I’ve hiked, skied, rafted, galloped, kayaked, Segwayed and rock-climbed my way through stories. Interviewing chefs, dining out, visiting hotels and sampling cocktails are other “challenges” I’ve met with gusto. My travel articles have appeared in Sunset, VIA, GMC Magazine, U.S. Airways, Arizona Highways, Chicago Tribune, United Airlines Hemispheres, Westjet’s Up!, Valley Guide and other publications. Additionally, my Arizona travel articles have been published in numerous travel guides, including the Arizona Official State Visitor’s Guide, Visit Phoenix: Official Travel Guide to Greater Phoenix and Experience Sedona Official Visitors Guide.

As a Scottsdale, Arizona-based architecture and design writer, I’ve covered residential, commercial and public architecture, interiors and landscapes throughout the West for Sunset, Vegas Seven, Modern Luxury Scottsdale, Modern Luxury Scottsdale Interiors, Phoenix Home & Garden, Renovation Style, Beautiful Homes, Western Interiors and Design, Tucson Home Magazine, Phoenix Magazine, Garden Design, Architecture Las Vegas and numerous other magazines. Topics? Do-it-yourself cottage gardens to 200,000-square-foot city halls. Profiles of architects and interior designers. Furnishings and color trends. Drought-tolerant plant introductions. Tours of award-winning projects. Green design. LEED, USGBC, ASID, NCIDQ, AIA, IIDA, ASLA, IFDA and NAHB mean something to me. I try to make topics accessible, understandable–to humanize the story. But talk is cheap, and it’s exhausting to keep blathering about myself. Please browse through my recent articles and feel free to contact me about your writing needs.