About
My name is Anna Brones and I am a writer and artist.
I am the author of The Culinary Cyclist, Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, Paris Coffee Revolution, Hello, Bicycle, Best Served Wild: Real Food for Real Adventures and Live Lagom: Balanced Living the Swedish Way.
My writing, books, and recipes have been featured in places like Saveur, The New York Times T Magazine, Outside Magazine, Cool Hunting, Food52, Bicycling, Sprudge, Adventure Journal, Adventure Cyclist, Big Cartel, and more. I have worked on, and contributed to, numerous book and publishing projects with publishers including Ten Speed Press, Gestalten, Artisan Books, and Chronicle. I have developed commercial content for brands including Subaru, MSR, and prAna.
I also work as a papercut artist, creating graphic illustrations from a single piece of paper. I illustrated Janet Reich Elsbach’s book Extra Helping: Recipes for Caring, Connecting and Building Community One Dish at a Time and my papercuts are featured in the 2019 edition of Joy of Cooking.
I am currently working on a public art installation for Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, and you can see more of my personal and commercial work here. Currently I am working on the Women’s Wisdom Project, a series featuring 100 papercut portraits of amazing women and their insight. You can keep up to date on Instagram too.
I love teaching classes and workshops and connecting with people. Check out my current event listings. Want to collaborate on an event or workshop? Get in touch! You can also support my work on Patreon.
I am also:
a bike lover.
an explorer.
an artist.
a documentary film producer.
a swede.
a french speaker.
a coffee drinker.
want to know more? want to work together? feel free to get in touch.
blog.annabrones.com 
I really loved your reminder to sign off, log out and write on paper! Thanks so much!
I am about to do just that after a month blogging, etc. during my trip to Brazil.
My recommendation for the day is this: take a moment this week to turn off your computer, be away from the sea of RSS feeds and emails and sit down with a pen and paper. Take time to write about your everyday surroundings and what you see. You don’t have to turn it into an article or a blog, this piece is just for you; a way to keep your creative energies going. Check back with me to let me know how it goes!
Karen Kefauver
September 27, 2008 at 18:04
Writing on paper is so different. Why? Because slight difference between paper and the hand, and the screen and the KB, are really worlds apart. The moat creative aspects of writing is, making mistakes and we make different mistakes with our hand and with our KB. I always recommend people write on paper
then put it on an email/blog/text… G. It may be different for people under 20, these days.
geonyc
March 3, 2014 at 10:50
Hi Anna,
I wanted to know more about your experiences in Guadeloupe. I am looking for a way to pay off some debts, while finding time to work on my writing. Is the program offered to Canadian citizens? Also, exciting to hear about WEND magazine, I have an interesting story when I was in India I could share,
Be in touch
Coleen from Canada
Coleen
September 29, 2008 at 18:30
Hi Anna,
Teaching English in Guadeloupe is something I would love to do. I need to find out what documents need to be required and what steps need to be taken in order to achieve this dream. Thanks for your time.
sincerely,
-Avery Awwa
Avery
September 30, 2008 at 13:08
Hi Anna,
I am currently applying for the Assistantship Program as offered by the French Embassy and wanted to hear more about your experiences. I think I am choosing Martinique & Guadeloupe as my first choice! If you get a chance, I’d love to hear more from you as I am making my decisions and looking forward to being a part of this program.
Thanks for your time!
Sincerely,
Marissa
Marissa
December 31, 2008 at 13:31
Hi Anna Brones,
I’m a French/American currently living in the South of France. I’m moving to Guadeloupe in the near future and came accross your site talking about English teaching there. I’m also a writer and an artist. Have you got any pointers about employment there? I deeply enjoyed skimming your blog and look forward to taking a more detailed look. Thanks
Aimee MacCormack
February 14, 2009 at 04:45
I tracked you down via a June posting you wrote for Written Road. And finding your blog, I was surprised to find that a. I had left a comment for you here in the past and b. You work at Wend Magazine! Been meaning to pitch Wend for a while now. The reason I looked up your email was to simply say THANKS for the posting re: Matador sports editor. I have contacted them, belatedly, but would not have noticed this save for your Written Road post. Keep up the good work!
Fellow travel/sports writer in Santa Cruz, California
Karen Kefauver
June 30, 2009 at 11:33
Thanks for the good words Karen! Been away from the blog for awhile, but now I’m back!
Happy travels + writing.
svenskaanna
July 7, 2009 at 19:22
i stumbled upon your blog today and see that you’re a portlander as well. yah? portland is the best kept secret. what an awesome city!
great blog!
trinaramirez
December 4, 2009 at 10:57
Hello Anna,
I love your blog!!! I will be adding your blog to my blogroll, so I can check back daily to see what new and fresh stories you`ll be sharing!
cheers,
Tasha
http://imnotfancy.wordpress.com
Tasha
March 13, 2010 at 00:05
Thanks Tasha!
svenskaanna
March 13, 2010 at 10:21
Found a kindred spirit in this blog, thanks for sharing all those inspiring photos!
Vashti
April 19, 2010 at 13:56
Hey Anna,
Very much enjoyed your blog, and came across it after I found an article you wrote about container ship travel. The link (my website) is my journey across the Atlantic, and actually wanted to ask whether you know if there are routes which go between the Europe and Western Africa. Im heading to make my way down, and would love to hear about it if you do.
Look forward to following your updates – where are your located btw?
Thanks,
Michael
Michael
May 29, 2011 at 22:37
So glad to find your blog via Freshly Pressed today! It’s quite a coincidence since I just today started working on my Swedish language skills again. (I started learning for a trip last summer, but they’ve been on the back burner since then.) So I’m very happy to have found all your delightful Swedish recipes and bits about Swedish culture! I look forward to your future posts!
Sharon
June 6, 2012 at 15:11
Yay, thanks!
Anna
June 6, 2012 at 15:20
Thank you to FP for letting me find you! Your blog makes me happy!
http://theusualbliss.com/2012/06/06/wednesday-sunshine-37/
the usual bliss
June 6, 2012 at 17:41
Congrats on being freshly pressed – lovely looking blog and great to see someone away from their computer and really living life outdoors!! I still write on paper nearly every night in my journal and have just invested in a delish Japanese lacquer one and a pen that I can also doodle with. Still good to be on the PC today though – how else would I have found your blog?!
wordswithnannaprawn
June 8, 2012 at 21:12
Very true! I try to write as much with good ole pen and paper as possible… then transfer it to the computer. Have to keep some balance!
Anna
June 10, 2012 at 12:30
What a lovely blog is this..
We really love your recipes, photos, presentation… We will keep following you…
Thanks for sharing…
ye-mek
June 11, 2012 at 12:59
Aw, thank you!!
Anna
June 11, 2012 at 20:46
Hello, I just wanted to say I enjoy reading your posts :), and I hope you don’t mind but I’ve nominated you for the Lovely Blog Award. By the way, if you are unfamiliar with the awards thing here at WordPress, you can drop me a note if you like.
Cheers!
tn.
T.D. Nicholls
July 7, 2012 at 09:34
Thanks so much!
Anna
July 8, 2012 at 08:18
Anna, did you write that great article on Ten Women CEO’s? Next time you take on a topic similar take a look at Glenda Flanagan, international CFO and board member for Whole Foods.
Jodie Purvin
September 24, 2012 at 17:10
I didn’t, but I will let the writer that did the piece know 🙂
Anna
September 25, 2012 at 09:22
decades older, dear kindred spirit, i smile reflecting years of riding with baby in snugli, riding with handicapped son on his ‘tandem bike’, drinking coffee for the oasis in every desert it is… just to take the time to make, breath in the bag, listen to the rhythm of the grinding, feel the energy of the hot grounds, share the uniqueness of every cup brewed, alone, with another, and ever pen to paper, spilling my heart’s beans into the mercy cup of my Lord, journaling joy and rejection, grief and consolation, through six children, umpteen pets, acres of grown with love food to deed the masses, my own and those beyond the gate. and here, i find you, another drawn to the wildly wonderful world of wheeling, wondering, wanderers through the simplest and oldest measures, ,,, cup, plate, miles, words….God’s peace, anna!
marmi11
August 16, 2014 at 18:30
Hi anna, I found out about your blog about 5 minutes ago, and I think it’s very cute and appealing and I think I might just start following you 🙂
check out mine and tell me what you think!
Thanks!
http://simplyhazel1.wordpress.com/
simplyhazel1
September 18, 2014 at 18:29
hi anna! I’ve got a coffee shop in gothenburg sweden, and as you might know we’re hosting the scae world of coffee event this summer. I’ve got a suggestion regarding your beautiful fika book. do you have an e-mail address where i could explain more in detail? (and maybe in swedish?)
best regards, viktor wennerblom
Viktor Wennerblom
May 11, 2015 at 09:54
[…] we take a bit of a different and lighter tone as we head on over to Paris, France to speak with Anna Brones about her new book, The Culinary Cyclist. In the handlebar bag size book, Anna shares some of her […]
The Outspoken Cyclist – 8/22/2015 « WJCU
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[…] we take a bit of a different and lighter tone as we head on over to Paris, France to speak with Anna Brones about her new book, The Culinary Cyclist. In the handlebar bag size book, Anna shares some of her […]
OutspokenCyclist | Show #260 – August 22, 2015
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Hello!!!! 🙂
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