Shortlisted for the Sixth Annual Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize - Nonfiction Category!
Shortlisted for Best Trade Non-Fiction at the 2020 Book Publishing Awards!

South Away follows Meaghan Marie Hackinen and her sister in the adventure of a lifetime: bicycling from Terrace, BC down the West Coast to (almost) the tip of the Baja Peninsula. Along the way Hackinen battles with the elements in Vancouver Island's dense northern forests and frigid Mexican deserts; encounters strange men, suicidal highways and monster trucks; and makes some emergency repairs as ties and spokes succumb to the ravages of the journey. Luckily, the pair meet some good people along the way and glean some insight about the kindness of strangers.

A rare road-trip story with two female leads, this travel memoir also chronicles an inner journey, as the author begins to better understand her relationship with her adventurous (and not-so-adventurous) family. South Away tells an engaging and personable tale, with imaginative and memorable depictions of land and sea along the ever-winding coast.

Meaghan Marie Hackinen is a writer and cyclist from Vancouver, BC. Her two-wheeled adventures have taken her from Haida Gwaii to Mexico's high plateaus, across Canada and the United States, and, most recently, from North Cape to Tarifa along some of Europe's highest paved roads. Meaghan is a Trans Am Bike Race, NorthCape4000, and Paris-Brest-Paris finisher, as well as the 2019 World 24 Hour Time Trial Champion and Course Record Holder (460.8 miles) in the Women's Division. Her writing explores relationships, experiences on the road, and encounters with wild places. Her creative non-fiction, poetry, and prose can be found in literary journals and cycling magazines. She has an MFA in Writing from the University of Saskatchewan and currently resides in Kelowna, BC.

Meaghan Hackinen's profile page

• Short-listed, Best Trade Non-Fiction at the Alberta Book Publishing Awards

Praise for South Away:
"In this empowering memoir, Hackinen, an avid cyclist, recounts her first touring-bike journey.. Teens will be particularly fascinated by how the author found post-grad direction and confidence using the strength of her own two legs."
~ Booklist
"Biking and adventure travel enthusiasts will revel in the author's descriptions and ability to endure such an arduous trip, and find this account restores one's faith in human goodness."
~ Library Journal
"... [T]his book will be a breath of fresh air and a reminder of the hope that lies in the humanity beyond our front door, if we dare to venture beyond it."
~ All Lit Up
"I LOVED this memoir...! Stumped for something to read? NeWest has published this awesome Canadian memoir that'll have you ready to pull out your own bike and set out into the world by the time your done."
~ Worn Pages and Ink Blog
"The body of work about the unique joys of wandering the world on two wheels just keeps getting better and Meaghan Marie Hackinen's South Away is a welcome addition to it.
~ Howard Macdonald Stewart, The Ormsby Review
"Everyone says 'Be careful,' but Meaghan Marie Hackinen wants to live large. South Away will fill your lungs with the fresh air of adventure and restore your faith in human goodness. An exhilarating debut."
~ Candace Savage, author of A Geography of Blood and Strangers in the House
"Hackinen's journey is the quest of her dreams. Her sharp images of life on the road reveal that the world is more complex than she thought-and that sometimes people will let you camp on their front lawn."
~ Nicole Haldoupis, editor of Grain Magazine and untethered