I'm a freelance journalist based in Paraguay. I travel widely across Latin America on assignment, reporting in print, radio and video for the BBC, The New York Times, the Guardian and others.

My first book explores the history and afterlives of ten lost South American countries. Drawing on several years’ travel and research, it will be published by Bodley Head in 2024.

I studied history, and then international law and politics, at university. I've worked for Oxford Analytica and The Economist Intelligence Unit. I also work as an editor and consultant, including for the ILO, UNICEF and the World Bank.

I speak Spanish, Portuguese and beginner’s Guaraní. Recently, I’ve been reporting a lot in the Chaco: South America’s biggest biome after the Amazon, and perhaps the fastest-vanishing forest on the planet.

Get in touch: with tips, feedback, commissions, queries, or just to say hi, you can reach me on laurie.a.blair@gmail.com. I’m also on Twitter @laurieablair and on Instagram @printsoflblair.