Hey there

I’m Michael Trinklein

At one point, I was the youngest college professor in the United States—although that was at Idaho State University, so…

I’ve written for The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and Time Magazine, among others.  I’ve been interviewed on NPR’s All Things Considered and Here and Now, and I’ve appeared on television talk shows including Stossel —and a full hour on C-SPAN.

I’m a three-time Emmy nominee—all for writing and producing the Pioneers of Television series on PBS. I have also written and produced shows for Netflix and Peacock. Examples include the documentaries Robin Williams Remembered and  Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration. I also wrote and produced a 2-hour drama/doc on the Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World.

My book on U.S. Statehood movements Lost States: True stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and other states that never made it was a bestseller.

I also own and run an experimental farm on the shores of Lake Michigan, where I’ve planted hundreds of unusual varieties of food-producing plants in the quest for new sustainable crops.

I have a graduate degree from The University of Iowa, and I am Professor Emeritus at Idaho State University. I currently live in Wisconsin with my wife Lynne.