Tara has a master's degree in science from the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Montana. For the past decade, she has written for and edited at several print and online publications; appeared on panels at environmental, journalism, and booksellers' conferences and gatherings; and served as a judge for the Reed Environmental Writing Award. Most recently, she was managing editor at Orion magazine, where work that she edited won a Pushcart Prize and was reprinted in Best Creative Nonfiction.