Oct
31
High school travel writing contest
October 31, 2006 | Comments Off
| October 31, 2006 |
Do you know any high-school-aged budding travel writers? Be sure to tell them — and their teachers — about this contest:
“The Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW), a twenty year old professional organization of travel writers and photographers, announces its second annual travel writing contest for all Bay Area High School Students. No entry fee to participate.
“Students wishing to enter should submit a 500-word essay, concerning a travel destination, experience or activity. Travel essays concern the idea and experience of travel — whether the writer has traveled to the other side of the world, down the block or anywhere in between.
Oct
31
Camino de Santiago
October 31, 2006 | Comments Off
Tuesday, October 31, 2006 at 7:00 p.m.
REI Fremont,
43962 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA (510) 651-0305
Susan Alcorn will read short selections from her new book, Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago, and present a digital slide show to introduce you to northern Spain–an intriguing land of beauty, history, and legend.
Oct
27
Camino de Santiago
October 27, 2006 | Comments Off
Friday, October 27, 2006 at 7:30 p.m.
Laurel Bookstore
4100 MacArthur (at 38th Ave.)
Oakland, 510-531-2073.
Book reading and slide show on Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago. This is a very welcoming independent book store.
Oct
27
Cultural Heritage Tourism Conference
October 27, 2006 | Comments Off
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
October 27, 2006
North Coast Cultural Heritage Tourism Conference
Mendocino County Museum
400 East Commercial Street
Willits, CA
“Cultural tourism is travel motivated entirely or in part to experience the arts, heritage, natural resources and special character of a place. It’s the fastest-growing sector of the travel industry. Cultural tourism attracts travelers who are better educated, more affluent, and have higher expectations for experiences that are both enjoyable and educational.”
$25 for event, lunch, refreshments
RSVP 1-800-619-2125
Looks intriguing. If any of you attend this event, please let me know how it was.
Oct
26
Camino de Santiago
October 26, 2006 | Comments Off
Thursday, October 26, 2006, at 7:00 p.m.
REI Santa Rosa
2715 Santa Rosa Ave.,
Santa Rosa, CA (707) 540-9025
FREE
“Susan and Ralph Alcorn will present a slide program on Spain’s famous pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago. In September 2001, Ralph and Susan set out across northern Spain on a 500-mile walk to Santiago de Compostela. Come to REI to walk with the Alcorns down from the Pyrenees, through the wine-growing regions of Rioja and Navarre, across the blazing hot meseta, over the mountains of Cantabrian, and into green Galicia. Learn first hand about the refugio (hostel) system and where to find food and water along the path. Susan will read short selections from her new book, Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago, to introduce you to an intriguing land of beauty, history, and legend. You’ll also learn how it was to encounter 9-11 in a foreign setting far from friends and family.”
Oct
26
Foreign Travel Club
October 26, 2006 | Comments Off
Thanks to John Quin-Harkin from the San Francisco Foreign Travel Club for this invitation to readers: you can visit the club’s monthly meeting between now and the end of the year at cost (meal only; not including membership dues). If you want to join in January, the annual dues are a reasonable $40.
“The Foreign Travel Club of San Francisco, which was previously restricted to professionals in the travel industry, has opened its membership to well-traveled persons in the San Francisco Bay Area. Membership is open to bona fide travelers who enjoy foreign travel, have visited at least three countries on separate occasions and enjoy comparing their experiences.
Oct
24
Copper Canyon, Sierra Madre
October 24, 2006 | Comments Off
October 24th, 7pm
118 Barrows Hall, UC Berkeley
Free and open to the public
Lowell Thomas Award winning travel writer Jeff Biggers will be speaking at UC Berkeley on October 24th, as part of the national tour for his new book, In the Sierra Madre, a memoir/history based in Mexico’s Copper Canyon. His reading is sponsored by the Ethnic Studies department. In the Sierra Madre chronicles his one-year sojourn in a remote Raramuri/Tarahumara village, and recounts the turmoil of Mexico’s logging, narcos and tourist clash among indigenous Mexico, and the adventures of legendary travelers in Mexico’s famed mountains.
Oct
21
Self-Publishing Basics
October 21, 2006 | Comments Off
On Saturday, October 21, 2006. 9:00 a.m. – 2 p.m. Susan Alcorn will be teaching a class entitled, “Self-Publishing Basics.” Join this class and learn how to get your book published. Mainstream vs. self-publishing; how to prepare your manuscript; editing; illustrations; printers; and launching your book.
Orinda Community Center, Orinda, CA
Class fee $50-$55
Info/register: www.ci.orinda.ca.us/parksandrec.
Info only: 925-254-2445
Oct
21
BATW present Tanya Shaffer
October 21, 2006 | Comments Off
The next Bay Area Travel Writers meeting is on Saturday, October 21 in St. Helena. Guest speaker will be Tanya Shaffer, travel writer, author and performance artist (see her bio below). The meeting will be from 10:00 am to noon, followed by lunch, hosted by the Harvest Inn, from noon to 1:30 pm. Non-members and guests are most welcome. The price for their lunch will be $35. Parking is plentiful and complimentary (although they may have valet parking since the Inn is very busy that day).
Please RSVP to the BATW Hotline, (415) 267-6176, no later than Monday, October 16. Directions: head north! Check with Google, Mapquest or AAA if necessary. If anyone is interested in carpooling, as either driver or passenger, please say so on the Hotline or send a message to monicaconrady@sbcglobal.net.
Oct
21
TRAVEL WRITING: Map Out the Route to Your Dream Profession
October 21, 2006 | Comments Off
Lisa Alpine is now offering her travel writing class in Port Townsend and Berkeley:
“Do you love to travel? Keep a travel journal? Why not take the next step and turn your daily scribbles into salable articles? You can do this by learning two things: 1) how to improve your storytelling abilities, and 2) how to market your work. “I’ll lead you through the steps of writing a travel story and then targeting and querying your markets (short story anthologies, newspapers, magazines and ezines),” says instructor Lisa Alpine. “We’ll also discuss ways to generate other travel-related sources of income, such as writing press releases and doing guidebook research. Whether you’re writing about your neighborhood or rafting down the Zambezi, you can develop specialty travel angles that open up publishing avenues beyond the Sunday Travel Section — and still pay well.” So come launch your career as a travel writer!”
Oct
19
Angelou on travel
October 19, 2006 | Comments Off
“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.”
– Maya Angelou
Oct
19
Tolkien on travel
October 19, 2006 | Comments Off
“Remember what Bilbo used to say: It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
Oct
18
Book launch party
October 18, 2006 | Comments Off
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Wednesday, October 18
The Monticello Inn
San Francisco
Left Coast Writers celebrate Don Hanlon Johnson’s newest book, Everyday Hopes, Utopian Dreams: Reflections on American Ideals. Don will read from his book and answer questions about its genesis, content, and process. This free-of-charge evening includes a complimentary wine reception, held in the Inn’s library. The book will be available onsite for purchase and signing.
“Don Hanlon Johnson here brings together his rich history as a philosopher, ex-Jesuit, and leading Somatics scholar to address some of the major issues facing America today. In the face of the many sad commentaries on our times, this incisive, deeply felt book gives us a solid basis for hope.”
–Michael Murphy, founder, Esalen Institute and author of The Future of the Body
Oct
14
LCW at Litquake
October 14, 2006 | Comments Off
TONIGHT
6 – 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Kilowatt
3160 16th Street
San Francisco, CA
This event is FREE, and is part of the legendary Litquake Pub Crawl!
An Evening of True Tales from the Fringe: The Bizarre, Humorous and Horrifying!
What are the rich and famous really like when they’re loaded? What happens when a rabid Raiders fan meets his enemy, Marilyn Manson? When cornered by a hungry hyena, is it best to bolt or barter? Join Left Coast Writers for an evening of truly weird and grotesquely funny stories from the wilds of the Bay Area to the backroads of the beyond . . . . Left Coast Writers Featured in 2006 Litquake Pub Crawl include Pamela Alma Bass, Bradley Charbonneau, Christine Comaford-Lynch, Kunal Mukherjee, Ransom Stephens, and Ann Ure.
Oct
14
Sontag on travel
October 14, 2006 | Comments Off
“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”
– Susan Sontag
Oct
14
Lit Crawl
October 14, 2006 | Comments Off
“With 150 writers at 31 difference venues, the infamous Lit Crawl is back and better than ever. Clocking in at 3.5 hours, it’s designed for those who prefer their literature neat, on the rocks or with a water back. Not unlike a staggered block party, the Crawl proceeds in three phases–the first from 6-7pm, the second from 7:15-8:15pm, and the third from 8:30-9:30pm.
Oct
14
Wend
October 14, 2006 | Comments Off
Wend magazine is looking for writers. From Ian Marshall:
“Want to write for us? If you Wend, here’s the way:
1.) Wend is namely interested in first person accounts of adventure travel in the Pacific Northwest region. This includes Northern California, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
2.) We are also interested in well researched historical accounts of adventurers past. Stories of environmental interest will also be considered. You will be fact checked. Wend maintains a high standard for journalistic ethics and accuracy.
Oct
14
Travel Writing at Litquake
October 14, 2006 | Comments Off
TONIGHT:
Travel Writers Roam the Globe: the lineup includes:
Lonely Planet: Bill Fink, Don George, and Judy Tierney.
Travelers’ Tales: Phil Cousineau, Larry Habegger, and Constance Hale.
October 14th, from 6 – 7 pm
Casanova Lounge (21 and over)
527 Valencia Street
Thanks to Tara Austen Weaver, Elizabeth Weaver, and others for sending the Lit Crawl schedule.
Oct
14
Literature from the “Axis of Evil”
October 14, 2006 | Comments Off
TONIGHT:
An open invitation from Li Miao Lovett: I’m inviting you to our first reading for Literature from the “Axis of Evil,” a groundbreaking collection of writings from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Cuba, Sudan, and Libya. Enemy nations — full of wonderful stories and people. We’ll have local authors to share this wonderful writing with you in English, along with snippets in the native language.
This event is part of Litquake, SF’s literary bash. Come out on the evening of Oct. 14th to catch our lineup, as well as other readings that strike your fancy. Here are details:
Oct
14
News from 100 Friends
October 14, 2006 | Comments Off
Here’s the latest news (10/11/06) from Marc Gold and the 100 Friends Project:
“Hello to all supporters of the project! This is a report from the field demonstrating how your donations are being put to work. I am currently in Bangkok, Thailand and the project is going really well. In this year’s mission support has been given to many poverty-stricken families and small organizations in Cambodia, Turkey, Afghanistan and Pakistan. As you will see, the funds for the project supplied by YOU are being put to VERY good use!
Oct
14
Matador Travel
October 14, 2006 | Comments Off
Matador is a new travel site with a fresh feel. You can read blogs and profiles there now, and eventually the site will include classified ads for tickets, jobs, gear, housing, and other travel- and arts/culture-related stuff. They aren’t paying writers, but hope to after the site becomes “sustainable.” Article categories include people, art/music, sport, location/travel environment, and NGOs working for positive change, especially those who need volunteers.
Oct
11
Go World
October 11, 2006 | Comments Off
Thanks to Toni Weingarten for the link to Go World, an online travel magazine. “Google recently named GoWorldTravel.com as one of seven globally-trusted travel contributors in their new Co-op destination guide technology. (Other trusted contributors named were Fodor’s, Frommer’s, National Geographic and Lonely Planet.)”
You can go here to download “Blogging for Dollars ‘ the New Technology and How to Make Money at It,’ the Powerpoint show managing editor Janna Graber presented at the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) conference in July, 2006, about current online publishing trends.
Oct
11
Food Flirt
October 11, 2006 | Comments Off
Jacqueline Harmon Butler’s new Food Flirt blog is live, and her recipe for Penne with Vodka and Salmon sounds delicious. Check it out for recipes, restaurant reviews, tidbits from Jacqueline’s travels, and all things “foodie.”
Oct
11
Faith abroad
October 11, 2006 | Comments Off
Toni Weingarten is working on a travel story “about how people are able to meet locals (break through the cultural divide) by attending church, temple, mosque — religious services — in foreign places. If you have a story/anecdote about being on a trip and having a “close encounter” with locals due to spiritual worship (maybe invited home for meal after church, taken to a christening party, shabbat dinner, etc.) please write Toni at Tweingarte@aol.com.”
Oct
10
Infinity Publishing
October 10, 2006 | Comments Off
Here’s another self-publishing site: Infinity offers editing, publishing, marketing, and distribution services. Prices start at $499. That includes cover design and making your book “available to buyers on our ecommerce website at www.bbotw.com, on amazon.com, and on other top book distribution websites. It will also be available to many top booksellers. Additionally, your book will be sold to bookstores on a returnable basis (as is the industry standard). We will then pay you royalties each month on all sales of your book.” Here’s the site’s comparison with similar services.