Page 6 - WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE DISCOVERING ENGLAND

Alison DaRosa CONTRIBUTORS

Alison DaRosa is a six-time winner of the Lowell Thomas Gold Award for travel writing, the most prestigious prize in
travel journalism. She served 15 years as Travel Editor of the San Diego Union-Tribune. She was the award-winning
editor of the San Diego News Network Travel Page. She produces and edits the San Diego Essential Guide, a highly
rated and continually updated travel app for mobile devices. Alison is a regular freelance contributor to the travel
sections of U-T San Diego, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

Sharon Whitley Larsen
Sharon Whitley Larsen’s work has appeared in numerous publications, including Los Angeles Times Magazine, U-T
San Diego, Reader’s Digest (and 19 international editions), Creators Syndicate, and several “Chicken Soup for the
Soul” editions. Although she enjoys writing essays, op-ed, and people features, her favorite topic is travel (favorite
destination London). She’s been lucky to attend a private evening champagne reception in Buckingham Palace
to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, to dine with best-selling author Diana Gabaldon in the Scottish
Highlands, and hike with a barefoot Aborigine in the Australian Outback. Exploring sites from exotic travels in the
Arctic Circle to ritzy Rio, with passport in hand, she’s always ready for the next adventure!

Carl H. Larsen
Carl H. Larsen is a veteran journalist based in San Diego. He now focuses on travel writing, and is summoned to pull
out his notebook whenever there’s the plaintive cry of a steam locomotive nearby. His hike along Hadrian’s Wall
was a bit off character, but allowed for an exploration of remote pubs and welcoming B&Bs. In San Diego, he is a
college-extension instructor who has led courses on the Titanic and the popular TV series “Downton Abbey.”

John Alongé

Popularly known as the Wine Heretic, John Alongé is a well-respected “educational entertainer” on food and wine
topics. He has written a variety of articles for international wine publications and is oft-quoted in food and wine
industry trade journals. Alongé began his career working in the vineyards of the Loire Valley in France. He has studied
at both the Ecole d’Oenologie in Bordeaux as well as UC Davis Extension in viticulture and viniculture. “The Wine
Heretic’s Bible”, Alongé’s latest book, offers “Plain English Advice for the Casual Wino”.

Maribeth Mellin

Maribeth Mellin is an award-winning journalist whose travel articles have appeared in Endless Vacation Magazine,
U-T San Diego and Dallas Morning News among others. She also travels and writes for several websites includ-
ing CNN Travel, Concierge.com and Zagat, and has authored travel books on Peru, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico,
Hawaii and California. Though known as a Mexico pro, Maribeth has written about every continent and was
especially thrilled by the ice, air and penguins in Antarctica.

Priscilla Lister

Priscilla Lister is a longtime journalist in her native San Diego. She has covered a many subjects over the years,
but travel is her favorite. Her work, including photography, has appeared in the U-T San Diego, Los Angeles Times,
Alaska Airlines magazine and numerous other publications throughout the U.S. and Canada. She currently writes
a weekly hiking column for the U-T, photographing every trail and its many wonders. But when the distant road
beckons, she can’t wait to pack her bags.

Nancy Carol Carter

Nancy Carol Carter writes and lectures on horticulture and landscape history, nurserywoman Kate O. Sessions, San
Diego’s Balboa Park, and related topics. In addition to annual visits to England, her itching feet have taken her to
50 other countries across the globe. She is an Associate Editor of California Garden magazine and has published in
the Journal of San Diego History, Eden--Journal of the California Garden and Landscape History Society and Pacific
Horticulture.

Robert Whitley

Robert Whitley writes the syndicated “Wine Talk” column for Creators Syndicate and is publisher of the online wine
magazine, Wine Review Online. Whitley frequently serves as a judge at wine competitions around the world, in-
cluding Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Sunset Magazine International and the Dallas Morning News TexSom wine
competitions. Robert also operates four major international wine competitions in San Diego: Critics Challenge,
Winemaker Challenge, Sommelier Challenge and the San Diego International.

6 Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2014