Telling stories about climate, food and the US

As a journalist and book author, I publish many of my interviews and stories (and books!) in Germany. Oh, you can't read any German? Read my Climate Culinarians Newsletter to get an idea. If you think you have a story to tell, I'm all ears.

Talk soon?!

Petrina Engelke

+ My story so far

My parents were relieved when I started writing. Finally, their little walking question mark could tell her stories in silence. Little did they know.

I have been podcasting at Notizen aus Amerika for a couple of years. Meanwhile, I wrote several books about the U.S. The latest is Cook Across America (2024), a mix of recipes, stories and interviews about food along Route 66. I created this book with German food blogger Gabriele Frankemölle, with whom I also collaborated on American Christmas (2021). Then there is USA 151 (2020), which I wrote with Kai Blum, after my blog Moment: New York had inspired a German publisher to offer me a book contract resulting in Fettnäpfchenführer New York (2016). Now what? I share what I learned with other authors: I'm a book coach, currently training for certification in the U.S.

The other part of my work life means freelance bonanza: Delivering articles to magazines during the day and overseeing a newspaper's online news desk late at night. Before I moved to NYC in 2010, I served as an editor-in-chief for several European magazines and taught interview skills and non-fiction writing at several German schools and universities. I also hosted interview programs and panels at major events like Frankfurt Book Fair.

+ I focus on people.

I talk to people. I watch what they do.

I write profiles, interviews and features about people in science, business, and culture.

This is a handful of people I interviewed:

Elizabeth Strout  |  Ermias Kebreab  |  Carl Safina  |  Robin Nagle

Nick Wooster  |  Angy Rivera  |  Caroline Weaver  |  Ronnie Spector

Maybe one day, you'll find your name here, too.

* p.eng

No, I am not a professional engineer. Still, my business is called p.eng.

It's my (first and last) name, after all.

In German, peng also is the equivalent to what you would call bang
as in Big Bang Theory (which would translate into an entirely different word, however), or bang on target.

And that's the way I work: Taking time to aim. Then hitting the bull's eye.