Cheryl Strayed (born 1968) is an American author and essayist whose work explores loss, resilience, family, and self-discovery. She is best known for her memoir *Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail*, which recounts her solo journey along the Pacific Crest Trail after the death of her mother and the collapse of her marriage. The book became a number-one *New York Times* bestseller and was adapted into an Academy Award-nominated film starring Reese Witherspoon. Through fiction, memoir, essays, and her celebrated “Dear Sugar” advice columns, Strayed has brought personal experience and emotional honesty to questions about how people endure hardship and rebuild their lives.
