Riley is a Chinese-American writer and documentary photographer. As a result of his own multicultural identity, he is driven by the belief that people's differences are circumstantial rather than fundamental, and that cultural affiliations are ultimately as arbitrary as they are meaningful.
This belief has led him far from his native New England (Hawaii, Michigan, Indonesia, and the American West) and in search of a wide variety of life experiences (English teacher, Peace Corps volunteer, newspaper photographer, and most recently, wildland firefighter). He hopes his words and pictures convey whatever is essential about these experiences, along with the core humanity that unites them all.
Riley is currently a member of the Baker River Hotshots—a federal wildland fire crew based on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. During the offseason (November - March), he is available for assignments worldwide.