Bio

Barbara H. Seeber, a native of South Texas, is a graduate of the University of Texas and Columbia University. A National Geographic writer and editor and award-winning feature writer, she is a 30-year veteran of the publishing world. Her articles have appeared in Science ’80-86, Horticulture, and Garden Design, along with a number of National Geographic Society publications.

Descended from six generations of Texans, Seeber’s forthcoming historical novel, The Empresario’s Wife, tells the story of an ancestor, Sarah Seely DeWitt. The novel chronicles the 1826-36 era when empresarios, such as Stephen F. Austin and his friend Green DeWitt, secured land grants from Mexico and pursued dreams of colonization in the trackless wilderness. Drawing on contemporary documentation and extensive primary and secondary sources, the novel recounts the saga of a young Everywoman and the events that change her—and the nation—forever.

The author’s career in nonfiction includes two decades as an editor for National Geographic Society, where she helped launch a number of titles in a line of herbal medicine and health books. Her article, “The Hunt for Antique Apples,” won the Quill and Trowel Award from Garden Writers’ Association of America for the best magazine article of the year. Her book on Washington gardens was praised for capturing the essence of Washington gardens. Her most recent nonfiction work was published in 2013. She lives in Washington, D.C.