NWF Natural Awakenings Magazine welcomes a new staff member this month, writer and editor, Kyla Stevens, of Niceville, FL. 

Growing up in the Panhandle, Stevens spent much of her childhood gardening with her grandmother, learning from an early age how to protect native plants and uproot invasives. 

In 2014, she graduated from the New College of Florida with an honors BA in American Literature after successfully publishing her senior thesis, “No Outside of Nature: An Investigation of Ecopoetics.” Since then, she has written and edited hundreds of news and cover stories for print and online publications, including the Northwest Florida Daily News and The Verde Independent. 

Recently, Stevens completed a year-long excursion across the U.S. in a self-renovated RV, where she worked as a remote editor and copywriter. After personally observing the devastating effects of climate change in the American West, however, Stevens returned to her hometown with a newfound appreciation of its indigenous pine forests and crystal-clear aquifers, and a strong desire to help protect them. 

“It’s so important right now to support publications that provide honest stories about the people and places whose voices are often left out,” she says. “My commitment to my community is one founded on the belief that all of our stories matter, and that telling a good story connects us to the places we call home.” 

Follow Kyla Stevens on her blog TheRoadsidePoet.com or contact her by email at [email protected].