Cheryl Strayed is an American memoirist, novelist, and essayist. She is best known for her 2012 memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, which was adapted into a 2014 film of the same name. Strayed has also written the novels Torch (2006) and Brave Enough (2015), as well as the essay collection Tiny Beautiful Things (2012). Strayed was born in Minnesota in 1968 and raised in rural Minnesota and Wisconsin. She attended the University of Minnesota, where she studied literature and creative writing. After college, she moved to Portland, Oregon, where she worked as a waitress and wrote her first novel, Torch. In 1995, Strayed's mother died of cancer, and Strayed began a period of self-destructive behavior. In 1995, she decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile trail that stretches from Mexico to Canada. Her journey was documented in her 2012 memoir, Wild, which became a bestseller and was adapted into a film starring Reese Witherspoon. Strayed is also the author of the essay collection Tiny Beautiful Things, which was based on her advice column for The Rumpus. She has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Sun. She is also the host of the popular podcast Dear Sugar Radio.