Apr
28
Sonoma County Book Festival
April 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| September 15, 2007 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 5:00 pm |
Tim Cahill will be at the 2007 Sonoma County Book Festival,—a free event on Saturday, September 15—along with Michael Shapiro, Marybeth Bond, Cara Black, and many others.
“In its seventh year, this literary event for all ages will feature nationally acclaimed and locally treasured authors, readings, workshops, book sales and more in Old Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa. More than 50 local and nationally-known writers will provide a full day of readings, panel discussions, childrens’ events, and poetry.”
Fee: Free
Time: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Phone Number: (707) 527-5412
Apr
25
Record of Iraq War Lies to Air April 25 on PBS
April 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| April 25, 2007 | ||
| 9:00 pm |
Thanks to April Orcutt for reminding us about the upcoming documentary. The following review is from Z Magazine, “an independent monthly magazine dedicated to resisting injustice, defending against repression, and creating liberty.” Watch it from 9 to 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25.
“Bill Moyers has put together an amazing 90-minute video documenting the lies that the Bush administration told to sell the Iraq War to the American public, with a special focus on how the media led the charge. I’ve watched an advance copy and read a transcript, and the most important thing I can say about it is: Watch PBS from 9 to 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25. Spending that 90 minutes on this will actually save you time, because you’ll never watch television news again — not even on PBS, which comes in for its share of criticism.
“While a great many pundits, not to mention presidents, look remarkably stupid or dishonest in the four-year-old clips included in “Buying the War,” it’s hard to take any spiteful pleasure in holding them to account, and not just because the killing and dying they facilitated is ongoing, but also because of what this video reveals about the mindset of members of the DC media. Moyers interviews media personalities, including Dan Rather, who clearly both understand what the media did wrong and are unable to really see it as having been wrong or avoidable.
Apr
25
Adventure Travel for Women panel
April 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| April 27, 2007 | ||
| 11:00 am | to | 12:00 pm |
I’m looking forward to moderating a “virtual” panel on adventure travel for women on Friday, April 27 from 11 to noon. You can attend with a phone—and ask your questions live—and can download all info to listen to later (walking the dog, at the gym). Panelists are:
- Rita Goldman Gelman, The Female Nomad, with “no permanent address, no possessions except the ones I carry, and I rarely know where I’ll be six months from now. I move through the world without a plan, guided by instinct, connecting through trust, and constantly watching for serendipitous opportunities.”
Apr
25
Where’s Don?
April 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
For those of you who are wondering where Don George is, now that he’s left Lonely Planet, he’s at … well, he’s at Don’s Place. It’s a blog celebrating adventure travel, and sponsored by “an enlightened association of ten first-class adventure travel companies called the Adventure Collection.” It will include Don’s take on issues in the travel world, featured destinations, interviews with leaders in the adventure travel field, and answers to readers’ questions about the world of adventure travel. Check out Don’s current article, The Carbon Conundrum: “With so much publicity about the ill effects of travel, what’s the responsible adventurer to do?…”
Apr
24
Indagare
April 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Melissa Biggs Bradley, the founding editor of Town & Country Travel, left last summer to launch Indagare, “a Web site, newsletter and community where the world’s most sophisticated travelers can research trips and share their discoveries.” The teaser site is up now, and launch is scheduled for next month.
Apr
24
Poor Nations to Bear Brunt as World Warms
April 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment
New York Times article by ANDREW C. REVKIN
“Wealthy countries are spending far more to limit their own risks from global warming’s consequences than to help the world’s most vulnerable regions….”
Apr
22
30 Days in Italy
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| May 2, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
Please join me and Francesca DeStephano, Georgia Hesse, Bonnie Smetts, and Phil Thompson, along with Executive Editor Larry Habegger, for a reading from the newly released Travelers Tales’ anthology, 30 Days in Italy. Other local contributors include Bill Fink, Constance Hale, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Mary Noyes, Laura Read, and Michael Shapiro.
I’ll be reading “Banana Tower,” about dreams, disillusionment, and redemption at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Wednesday May 2 at 7 p.m.
Get Lost Travel Books
1825 Market Street
San Francisco, CA
(415) 437-0529
Apr
22
Tanya Shaffer’s Buddha Musical
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| April 30, 2007 | ||
| 7:30 pm |
If you know her work, you won’t want to miss this … From writer and performer Tanya Shaffer:
Dear Friends,
I’m writing to invite you to a very special event.
For the past couple of years I’ve been working on a script for a new musical. The working title is “Sid Arthur: A Tale of a Modern Buddha.” It’s a modern fairy tale that very loosely parallels the life of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, in a contemporary setting. My Buddha is a female enlightened being named Sidney Arthur; her followers call her Mama Sid.
One aspect of the Buddha’s life which has always intrigued and disturbed me is the fact that he left his wife and infant son to pursue enlightenment. In my story, Mama Sid has become
Apr
22
Greece: A Love Story
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| May 17, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
Diane LeBow will be reading from her story, “Dancing on the Wine Dark Sea,” with a few other contributors to the new Seal Press anthology, Greece: A Love Story: Women Write about the Greek Experience (Seal Press). Diane, President of Bay Area Travel Writers and winner of the recent Travelers’ Tales Solas Gold Award for Best Story of a Romance on the Road, tells the tales of three visits to the land of Homer over a 25 year period: love, death, visits to the sites of ancient Athenian fertility cults, and much more.
Apr
22
Scientists Detail Climate Changes, Poles to Tropics
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
New York Times article by JAMES KANTER and ANDREW C. REVKIN. April 7, 2007
“From the poles to the tropics, the earth’s climate and ecosystems are already being shaped by the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases and face inevitable, possibly profound, alteration, the world’s leading scientific panel on climate change said Friday. In its most detailed portrait of the effects of climate change …”
Apr
22
According to Google
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to April Orcutt for sending this tip: “I learned a neat trick that other TWC writers might find helpful. If you’re looking for a definition of a word, go to Google and type “define:[word]” with no quotes, brackets or space after the colon — like: define:travel. In addition to being useful, it’s entertaining.”
Apr
22
The Perils of Proofreading
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I think this is a joke, but one can’t be too careful with one’s life….
Apr
22
Sierra “Classic” 5-day Backpacking Trip, Yosemite CA
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| July 18, 2007 | to | July 22, 2007 |
“Join Wild Women Workshops instructors Heather Sullivan and Cynthia Ramaciotti for a wonderful backpacking trip in the high country of Yosemite. Yoga and reflective writing instruction will be offered.” July 18-22, 2007. Cost: $675. Please email us for registration forms. Some scholarships available. (209) 379-9453.
Apr
22
Women of Color “Full Moon” Backpacking Trip, Desolation Wilderness, CA
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| July 26, 2007 | to | July 29, 2007 |
Join Wild Women Workshops instructors Chelsea Griffie and Deni Hodges on a 4-day beginner-friendly backpacking trip to the Desolation Wilderness. The trip will include yoga classes and some reflective writing time.
July 26-29, 2007. Pre-trip meeting scheduled for July 21, 2007.
Cost: $100 (This trip is subsidized through a grant from REI). Applicants will be selected on a first come/first serve basis. Space is limited to 10 participants.
Apr
22
Wild Women FUNdraising Event
April 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| June 2, 2007 |
“Join Wild Women Workshops at the Mountain Sage Nursery in Groveland, CA for their ‘Earth Fest.’ This is a full day [June 2, 2007] of great food, live music, festive environment and great vendors and workshops. We will have a silent auction as the WWW FUNdraiser. All proceeds go to our scholarship fund. If you would like to donate an item for the auction, please send to our mailing address or contact us.” (209) 379-9453.
Most of the Wild Women Workshops include instruction in reflective writing and yoga.
Apr
21
Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference, Corte Madera, California
April 21, 2007 | 1 Comment
| August 16, 2007 | to | August 19, 2007 |
It’s that time of year again. If you’re making summer plans, remember the Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference; it’s August 16-19 this year. Below is an article written by first-time attendee Lynn McClain after the 2006 Conference.
Hearing Tim Cahill explain how his travel writing fractures the space-time continuum is worth the price of admission. The acclaimed adventure travel writer is describing his unique style to a group of beginner to advanced level travel writers and photographers attending the conference. All are engaged in this discussion with the man who has been called the “Mishap Maestro.”
I enrolled in the Annual Travel Writers and Photographers Conference at Book Passage in Corte Madera, California on a whim, hoping that it would move my nascent travel writing career in the right direction. It did.
The four-day event commenced with
Apr
21
Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Award
April 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| May 15, 2007 |
“Now in its 76th year, the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition continues the time-honored tradition of rewarding great talent with huge prizes. Grand Prize: $3,000 cash and an all-expense paid trip to New York City to share your work with four editors or agents. 1,001 winners will be chosen in all! For a complete list of prizes and guidelines, and to enter online, visit our Web site.”
Deadline: May 15, 2007
Apr
21
Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards
April 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| May 1, 2007 |
“Win $3,000 in cash. Gain national exposure for your book. Catch the attention of prospective editors and publishers. Writer’s Digest is searching for the best self-published books of the past few years. Whether you’re a professional writer, part-time freelancer, or a self-starting student, here’s your chance to enter the only competition exclusively for self-published books.
THE CATEGORIES:
Mainstream/Literary Fiction
Genre Fiction
Nonfiction
Inspirational (Spiritual, New Age)
Life Stories (Biographies, Autobiographies, Family Histories, Memoirs)
Children’s Picture books
Middle-Grade/Young Adult books
Reference Books (Directories, Encyclopedias, Guide Books)
Poetry
ENTRY DEADLINE: Tuesday, May 01, 2007″
Apr
19
Earworms: the new “Musical Brain Trainer”
April 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Earworms language training gives you “200+ essential words and phrases anchored into your long term memory with great music.”I listened to the free one-minute demo for Italian, and it sounded like it would work.
From a press release: “I’d like to introduce a new and unique language learning concept thats causing a small storm in the UK/US press and media — and recently featured on BBC TV (for innovative products).
“The pefect companion for today’s traveller, the product itself is an audio CD with accompanying phrase-book, the system is one that’s easy to use, convenient, motivating (through real rapid progress), highly effective and great fun.
Apr
18
Fly Lady
April 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Have trouble balancing travel, writing, a day job, a family, and running a household? If so, you might want a daily dose of inspiration from Fly Lady.
Apr
16
TravelBlogger.com
April 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
[ClickPress, Sat Mar 03 2007] “TravelBlogger.com solidified there [sic] position today as one of the best travel blogging sites on the web by unveiling an updated site design featuring an all new layout, high quality video uploading capabilities, an advanced Google mapping system, and automatic contact uploading from a personal email account in a single click.” Is there a there there?
The site lets you post your travel journal and photos, and browse through other people’s uploads. You can also network with other travelers (there’s a social networking section on the site), book a hostel or tour, and buy travel insurance.
Apr
16
Predictions for travel guides
April 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Shooting for the stars—and tourists
by Moshe Gilad
From Haaretz.com
“‘I travel a lot, and the most prominent phenomenon is standardization,’ he said. ‘Everything is becoming similar, standard. The same is true for maps and travel guides. The uniqueness we once had is disappearing pretty rapidly. Everyone is writing about the same destinations, and in many cases we find we are simply being copied…
Apr
16
Beyond Green
April 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
From Get Lost Travel Books March, 2007 Newsletter: “In a recent cover story on “green travel” Publishers Weekly (1/29/07) asked various publishers to define the terms “green” and “eco-travel”. The definitions proffered turned out to be so broad as to render the terms meaningless. Tim Jarrell, the publisher of Fodor’s thinks of eco-travel as outdoor activities and eco-tours. (Can someone explain to me what an eco-tour actually is?) He identified two trends in green travel: 1) sustainability, i.e., minimizing the impact of tourism on resources such as fuel and water; and 2) “out-of-the-ordinary” experiences. He is spot-on with the first point. But isn’t “out-of-the-ordinary” just good old “independent travel”? Editorial director Elizabeth Newhouse of National Geographic believes that “experiential travel is important, because the closer people feel to the places they visit, the more careful they will be in preserving them.” Ouch. I am afraid that the imprecision here is going to go down as yet another marketing trend that will soon be forgotten. If millions of well-meaning travelers are throwing away their non-recyclable water bottles every day, is it right to consider them green if they all decide to go on bike tours half way around the world?”In the 1980s I used A Guide to Trekking in Nepal by Stephen Bezruchka. He pointed out how a trekker impacts the communities he/she passes through: only 3 cents of every dollar stayed with the locals; trees and branches being the primary heating fuel, to provide trekkers hot showers meant further deforestation; and a trekker’s ability to pay more for bread and provisions made them less affordable for locals in the long run. Bezruchka’s facts and advice were revelations. It was the first time that I considered my impact as a tourist on a given economy. The questions one could ask about how one travels and where one stays are limitless. Beyond green vs. non-green practices there ought to be the most crucial consideration: “who is benefiting here and who is losing out?”
Apr
16
Oakland: The Soul of the City Next Door
April 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| June 16, 2007 | ||
| 2:00 pm | to | 3:00 pm |
June 16th, 2 pm
Book signing
Book Passage
1 Ferry Bldg # 34
San Francisco
“Oakland, California has more to offer than anyone would have guessed. From a vibrant underground music and art scene to the most straight ahead sustainable restaurants and businesses, it should not be missed on a vacation to the Bay Area. Oakland has a rich history marked by a welcoming spirit and the most ethnically diverse population in the United States.
Apr
16
Cultural Escapade
April 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Serena Bartlett recently self-published Oakland: The Soul of the City Next Door, “an ‘urban-eco travel’ guide. It is the first guide in our company’s City Next Door Series, inspiring people to look to their own stomping grounds for adventure and cultural experiences, all of which can contribute to the longevity of the planet and the development of strong community.”