Beth Howard

My career has been varied yet connected with communications as the common link. I've been a coffee importer, PR executive, adventure travel journalist, web producer, and lecture agent, to name a few of my jobs. In 2009, after the death of my husband, Marcus Iken, my life took a dramatic turn and I became a pie maker, book author, and resident of rural Iowa. My grief led me back to my native state, where from 2010 to 2014, I lived in the iconic American Gothic House in Eldon (pop. 900). There I ran the Pitchfork Pie Stand and wrote two books: "Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and, Pie" and "Ms. American Pie: Buttery Good Pie Recipes and Bold Tales from the American Gothic House." Both books share the message that when you make a homemade pie and share it with others it makes people happy, and in turn makes you happy, ultimately making the world a better place. I even gave a TEDx talk on the subject.I continue to use my writing and pie skills to help others. I am a regular commentator for my local NPR station. I blog at The World Needs More Pie. And I am currently working on my next book, "World Piece," about how, In 2015, I traveled around the world making pie in nine countries as a way to promote cultural understanding and goodwill. In 2012, I traveled to Newtown, CT twice after the tragic shooting to hand out free slices of homemade pie and teach pie making to the community. I've taught pie classes to groups in need of something positive in their lives, including at-risk youth in Iowa high schools and kids in a South African township, as well as a team-building experience for business executives in Tokyo. My story has been featured on NPR, CBS This Morning, Anderson Cooper 360, Hallmark Channel, and in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Real Simple, Country Living, Guideposts, Virgin Australia, and more.