Alycin Hayes

Alycin Hayes is a writer, filmmaker, musician, and wildlife conservationist whose life has been shaped by adventure, travel, and a deep connection to the natural world.

In her twenties, Alycin set out alone with a backpack and hitchhiked thousands of miles through North, Central, and South America. This unforgettable journey inspired her bestselling memoir, "Amazon Hitchhiker: A Woman’s Adventures from Canada to Brazil". The book became an Amazon New Release Best Seller in Traveler & Explorer Biographies, recounting her daring travels through jungles, mountains, and lost tribes, including an ill-fated attempt to paddle the length of the Amazon River.

Her children’s books grow from real experiences in nature. While researching wildlife in Canada, Alycin followed spawning wild salmon for miles along British Columbia’s Adams River and studied beavers around ponds and dams on her farm in Ontario. These adventures inspired her picture book "Come Back Maya!", the story of a friendship between Maya, a wild young salmon fry and Bea, a beaver kit, and the remarkable way these animals help create healthy ecosystems together.

Her earlier picture book, "Milo and the Mustang", about a lost boy and a wild horse, was awarded Great Kids’ Book for Road Trips by R. Morrow Books.

Alycin is also the producer, composer, and co-director of the international award-winning short film "Wild Florida’s Vanishing Call". She has performed her music in many countries and worked with wildlife around the world, including elephants in Thailand.

Whether writing a memoir or children’s stories, Alycin’s work is inspired by wild places, unexpected journeys, and the belief that adventure can change the way we see the world.