Tara Roberts is a storyteller, adventurer, and traveler.

Tara spent the last six years following, diving with, and telling stories about Black scuba divers as they searched for and helped document slave shipwrecks around the world. Her journey was turned into an award-winning National Geographic-produced podcast called “Into the Depths” and featured in the March issue of National Geographic magazine. Tara became the first Black female explorer ever to be featured on the cover of Nat Geo. In 2022, Tara was named the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year. Currently, she is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. And her book Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home and Belonging hits stands in January 2025.

Tara also worked as an editor for magazines like CosmoGirl, Essence, EBONY and Heart & Soul and edited several books for girls. She was a Fellow at the MIT Open Documentary Lab. She founded her own magazine for women who are ‘too bold for boundaries..' And Tara spent an amazing year backpacking around the world to find and tell stories about young women change agents. The journey led to the creation of a nonprofit that supported and funded their big ideas.

Other Awards & Honors

  • 2022

    *Yahoo’s 12 Best New Podcasts

    *Life Haker’s 12 Best Podcasts Celebrating Black History & Culture

    *Won, Jackson Wild’s “Special Jury Recognition in Engaging Platforms”

    *Finalist, Online Journalism Awards, “Excellence in Audio Digital Storytelling”

  • 2015

    *Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) Rise Fellowship

    2013

    *Toyota ‘Mothers of Invention’ Grant

  • 2003

    *Nominee, Utne Reader’s “Best Independent Magazine” Award

  • 1997

    *American Library Association’s “Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers”

    1998

    *New York Public Library’s “Best Books for the Teen Age”