Gene Openshaw is a writer, composer, and longtime collaborator with travel expert Rick Steves. A native of suburban Seattle, Gene studied Religious Studies at Stanford University, graduating with broad academic interests and an aversion to conventional career paths. He worked as a roofer, teacher, movie projectionist, and piano player, all while cultivating a lifelong passion for music, art, and travel. In the 1970s, he and Rick Steves backpacked across Europe and Asia, experiences that seeded a decades-long creative partnership in guidebook writing, television production, and educational programming. In the 1980s and 1990s, Gene immersed himself in Seattle’s vibrant cultural scene. He performed in bands and improv groups, wrote comedy and music, and composed experimental scores for theater productions. His opera Matter, developed over several years, debuted in 1998 to critical acclaim. Around this time, he also co-authored travel guidebooks such as Europe 101 and Mona Winks, and helped produce Rick Steves’ newsletter, The Future in Our Hands. In the 2000s, Gene shifted focus to family life while continuing creative work. He composed a violin sonata, co-authored major travel guides, and contributed to Rick Steves’ popular PBS travel shows. After a life-threatening illness and coma, Gene found renewed focus, writing with greater clarity and purpose. In the 2010s, Gene co-created major television specials including The Story of Fascism in Europe and Rick Steves’ Art of Europe. He also wrote and published Michelangelo at Midlife, a hybrid nonfiction/fiction book blending personal experience with the story of Michelangelo’s Tomb of Julius II. Today, Gene continues to write from his home in Edmonds, Washington, reflecting on a creative life shaped by curiosity, resilience, and a deep love for music, art, and storytelling.