Mick Shippen is a freelance writer and photographer who has lived in Thailand since 1997, first in the northern city of Chiang Mai and currently in Bangkok. He travels extensively throughout Asia conducting research for articles and taking photographs for local and international publications. He is the author of The Traditional Ceramics of Southeast Asia, and a keen biker who spends his spare time motorcycling - he has toured extensively on- and 0ff-road in northern Thailand and Laos.