Jeff Burlingame was born and raised in Aberdeen, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. Working as a shake rat in the peninsula's woods, trekking the 14-mile roundtrip trail to the top of Colonel Bob Peak, and fishing the area's gorgeous rivers, lakes, and streams were all part of his upbringing. Jeff worked for a decade at The Daily World, his hometown newspaper, as a reporter and editor. In 2004, he co-founded the Kurt Cobain Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the memory of Kurt Cobain. The organization was instrumental in the development of a number of community projects and activities in Aberdeen in honor of the late rock and roll hero, including an annual concert that attracts visitors from all over the world.

Jeff is now the multi-award-winning author of 20 books. The Society of Professional Journalists, the New York Public Library, and the NAACP have all recognized his work, with the NAACP awarding one of his books an Image Award in 2012. (Jeff and his family live in Tacoma, Washington.) In 2011, he was nominated for an Image Award, but the award went to former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.