Chuck Thompson is the author of the widely reviewed political screed Better Off Without ’Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession, acclaimed comic travel memoirs Smile When You’re Lying and To Hellholes and Back, and a two-volume World War II survey that is regarded as the most comprehensive catalog of World War II sites in existence. Created, written and executive produced by Chuck, "Sometimes When We Touch: The Reign, Ruin and Resurrection of Soft Rock," is a three-part music documentary that begins streaming on Paramount+ in January 2023.
He’s currently the editor of the nonprofit environmental news website Columbia Insight. Previously, he spent seven years with CNN as executive producer of CNN Travel and editorial director of CNNGo.com. He’s also been an editor with WikiTribune, features editor for Maxim, and editor in chief of Travelocity and Mariner magazines. Raised in Juneau, Alaska, he graduated from the University of Oregon with degrees in history and journalism; he’s lived in Japan, Hong Kong, New York City, Dallas, and Portland, Oregon, and traveled on assignment in more than 60 countries.