Alison Wright, the New York-based author and photographer of Faces of Hope, Children of a Changing World, lost her life recently in a tragic accident while diving in the Azores. Alison was always a passionate supporter of Ethical Traveler, and a close friend. This gallery was originally published on our site years ago, but we have revived it as a tribute to Ali’s life and work.

Alison's other photo books include A Simple Monk: Writings on His Holiness the Dalai Lama and The Spirit of Tibet: Portrait of a Culture in Exile. She was a frequent contributor to the Travelers Tales series, as well as Stories of World Travel by the Wild Writing Women.

In 2002, Alison won the 2002 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award for her Outside magazine story recounting her astonishing survival and recuperation after a devastating bus accident in Laos—a story that inspired her unforgettable book Learning to Breathe.

Alison's photos have been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History and have appeared in major magazines world-wide. She received the 1993 Dorothea Lange Award in documentary photography for her photographs of child labor in Asia.

Farewell, beloved Alison. We will forever miss your courage, humor, and compassionate eye.

Her website remains:
AlisonWright.com