Kirstie was born in New Jersey, in the Watchung Mountains. Every summer her family traveled to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire for a technology-free vacation on an island in the middle of the lake. She spent warm days kayaking, tubing, canoeing and hiking. Her mother had a strong influence on Kirstie's love for nature, sharing moments on the dock, in the garden and searching for birds. When she wasn't enjoying time with her mother, Kirstie would ride on the back of her father's motorcycle through the Watchung Mountains.

Kirstie has a bachelor's degree in English from Wingate University in North Carolina. Working in the university library inspired her to pursue her master's degree in library and information science from Rutgers University. Kirstie has traveled throughout the East Coast and gazed in wonder at Alaska's mountains, with high hopes of seeing more of our national parks. A study of British and Irish playwrights took her on her first international trip and inspired a mission to see every continent. Just as she loves stories on the page, she feels revitalized every time she sees cultural and ecological stories unfolding throughout the world. She has since been to Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany. Her Nat Hab travels brought her to stand on a glacier in Alaska, marvel at polar bears on a women-only adventure and photograph jaguars and anteaters in Brazil's Pantanal region.

An avid reader, Kirstie collects special editions. She loves reading outside and hiking to new surroundings with a good book.