Aug
29
BATW
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| September 15, 2007 | ||
| 10:00 am | ||
| October 20, 2007 | ||
| 10:00 am | ||
| November 17, 2007 | ||
| 10:00 am |
Bay Area Travel Writers meet the third Saturday of each month, at varying venues. More info on their website.
Aug
29
Left Coast Writers Salons
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| September 4, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| October 1, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| November 5, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| December 3, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
Meet the first Monday of each month at Book Passage Corte Madera, 7 p.m.
About Left Coast Writers®
Founded in 2003 by Bay Area novelist, poet and travel writer Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Left Coast Writers supports new and established writers in the production and promotion of their work in a stimulating atmosphere of creativity and community. Anyone interested in lively literary connections, superlative writing tips, great chat, fun, and unabashed networking is invited to join us and take part in our monthly events.
Aug
29
Advanced Travel Writing Workshop with Larry Habegger
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| September 26, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
New advanced class with Larry Habegger; good place to hone your skills and work with an an going group. I learned a lot in one of his earlier classes. From Larry:
Just the facts:
7 Wednesdays, September 26 (skipping over Halloween) to November 14
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 350 Townsend Street between 4th and 5th Streets in San Francisco
$450 for 6-7 participants; $400 for 8 participants; $375 for 9-10 participants
Writers will work on three stories over the seven weeks, or one story taken through three drafts.
Aug
29
Green Travel
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Here’s a special report from the Washington Post on green travel.
Aug
29
Ad Flags
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to Anna Lane for the link to this odd site showing national flags — from an advertising perspective.
Aug
29
Vosmer Voyages
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Track Whitney Vosberg and Heather’s travels on Vosmer Voyages.
Aug
29
World Hum
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I hadn’t checked the submission guidelines for quite awhile, and notice that World Hum now pays for stories.
Aug
29
Greatest Travel Books
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to April Orcutt for this: The September, 2007 issue of Conde Nast Traveler has excellent list of “The 86 Greatest Travel Books of All Time” with an intro by Pico Iyer.
Aug
29
Rules for Renegades
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| September 17, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
On Monday, September 17, at 7 pm, Corte Madera’s Book Passage bookstore and Left Coast Writers will celebrate entrepreneur and writer Christine Comaford-Lynch’s new book, Rules for Renegades: How to Make More Money, Rock Your Career, and Revel in Your Individuality. Come and meet Christine (a card-carrying member of Left Coast Writers) at this free-of-charge evening at Book Passage, when she’ll read from her book and answer questions about her rags-to-riches ride from high-school dropout to multi-millionaire CEO.
Aug
29
100 Places Every Woman Should Go
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| September 15, 2007 | ||
| 3:00 pm | ||
| September 16, 2007 | ||
| 3:00 pm | ||
| September 18, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| September 19, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| September 20, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| September 21, 2007 | ||
| 6:30 pm | ||
| September 23, 2007 | ||
| 11:00 am | ||
| September 24, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| September 26, 2007 | ||
| 6:30 pm | ||
| October 1, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| October 2, 2007 | ||
| 12:00 pm |
Talk about a whirlwind! Stephanie Elizondo Griest is on tour with her new book, 100 Places Every Woman Should Go. If you can catch up with her, she’ll be at these venues:
Saturday, September 15 – SANTA ROSA, CA
– Stephanie will speak on a travel writing panel at the Sonoma County Book Festival, along with Tim Cahill, Michael Shapiro, Lea Aschkenas and Larry Habegger at 3 p.m. in the Forum Room of the Sonoma County Library at 3rd & E Streets.
Aug
29
Creative Nonfiction Writing Class
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| September 4, 2007 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
ENGLISH 225–9034 Creative Nonfiction Writing
~~ UC/CSU TRANSFERABLE ~~ Fall 2007
Tuesday nights 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Diablo Valley College at the Walnut Creek Campus
1250 Arroyo Way, Walnut Creek
September 4 – December 11
“Turn your life experience into literature … learn to write memoir, travel and personal essays. Use traditional fiction techniques to craft stories from your life experiences. Read models of professional narrative nonfiction, some published by former class members, and workshop your writing in a supportive environment.”
Aug
29
Central American Tourism
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to Karen Misuraca for sending this info: “The Central America Tourism Promotion Agency is looking to recognise the work of professional travel writers, photographers and broadcasters through its ECHO awards. Contact: Susana Cardenas Overstall at scardenas@chime.plc.uk or on +44 207 861 8657.”
Aug
29
The Complete guide to Finding and Winning Travel Grants
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
“Grants offer key sources of financial support for travelers. Winning a grant is an inexpensive way to raise funds to enrich your personal, professional, and spiritual life.”
Check out this helpful how-to article at Brave New Traveler. While you’re at it, have a look at the rest of the site, which publishes “thoughtful and entertaining articles exploring travel in the 21st century” and “focuses on topics like green travel, photography, writing, politics and culture.”
Aug
29
“Clear” Airport Security Fast Pass Program Launches at SFO
August 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to Karen Misuraca for sending this. Sounds like a good story idea; certainly worthy of an opinion piece!
“Clear, a service provider of registered travel lanes, will open Sept. 6, 2007 at San Francisco International Airport in Terminals One and Three. Hours of operation will be 5 am to 10 pm daily. The service will be expanded to the International Terminal in the fall. Operational since July 2005, Verified Identity Pass’ Clear program has more than 59,000 members. Already operational in eight airports, the service relies on iris imaging, fingerprint imaging and I.D. document authentication equipment to allow members expedited access to passenger screening at security checkpoints. For more information, visit www.flyclear.com. Media contact: Cindy Rosenthal, Clear, 212-332-6306.”
Aug
20
Travel Photography Update
August 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Loved the Sunday, August 19, Washington Post travel section, which included annual photo contest winners as well as:
- A comparison of four photo-hosting Web sites.
- A look at innovative ways to use your photos, instead of confining them to online galleries or musty albums.
- A review of a nifty new doodad that’ll help put you in the pictures you’re taking.
- A report on disposable digital cameras and the quality of their prints.
Aug
20
“Freegan” dining
August 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment
“Alex Renton rides shotgun with a band of eco-minded ‘freegans’ who plunder the bins behind the local M&S for gourmet foods. But how ethical is it? And can you get enough for a dinner party? Read more from Alex Renton and have your say about the article on our blog.” Since I don’t see a permalink, I’ve included the entire article below. Great example of “voice.”
Sunday August 19, 2007
Observer Food Monthly
I’m chopping an onion for the tomato and beef ragu and shouting happily to Ruth: ‘This and a bit of olive oil are the only things in this entire meal that were bought!’ But she sniffs and says: ‘Have you really thought through the ethics of this?’
Aug
17
News from Laurie Weed
August 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment
********************************
Global Cooling Plagues the U.K.
********************************After an unexpectedly glorious April, the weather in England turned…English. And not just your ordinary cold-and-wet English weather, either, but the coldest, wettest summer on record. None of the plans I’d made for my summer abroad included a glacial monsoon. During the first few weeks of gale-force winds and constant downpour, I tried to adapt. When my coping tactics — ranting, whining, drinking, taking long naps, and cutting my own hair with dog-grooming scissors — had no affect on the suicidal gray skies, I tried waiting it out, but after two solid months of virtual winter, when even the usually stoic natives were breaking down, I could bear it no longer. I hopped a cheap flight to the Iberian Peninsula where a record heat wave was reportedly killing people. If the apocalypse was imminent, I decided I’d rather roast than drown in it.
Aug
5
Where’s Matt?
August 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to Anna Lane for sending this link to Dancing Matt, photojournalist and entertainer.
Aug
5
Global Warming Tourism?
August 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Check out the Washington Post’s special travel section on global warming (July 15, 2007):
Getting Warmer . . .
Alaska’s Icy Bay, Where Glaciers Come to Die and Kayakers Come to Watch
By William Booth
“Granted, it is still a niche market. But if the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is to be believed — and why not? — it’s a growth opportunity. The traveler in the very near future might be ready for some global warming tourism. Vacation destinations? You could do the Maldives and watch the sea level rise before your very eyes. Glub glub. Bye-bye, happy island nation. Or perhaps a trip to the African Sahel to experience some scary soil evaporation. Subtle, but profound. Or you can do what we did and journey to Icy Bay in Alaska and just watch the world melt…”
Aug
5
Commuter writes book using mobile phone
August 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
One less excuse; if he can do it, so can you: “An Italian writer decided to put his mobile phone to good use during his daily commute to and from work — by writing a book. Robert Bernocco, an IT professional took advantage of his travel time by writing a 384-page science fiction novel, Compagni di Viaggo (Fellow Travelers), on his Nokia using the phone’s T9 typing system.” From the International Business Times.
Aug
5
Penny Postcard Travel
August 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to my folks for sending the link to this site where you can “check out your old stomping grounds during the times of the penny postcard.”
Aug
5
San Francisco Hotel Updates and Upgrades
August 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
If you think the San Francisco hotel scene is changing too rapidly to keep up with, you’ll want to thank Diane LeBow for forwarding this information (dated July 31, 2007) from the SF CVB:
Name Changes and Recent Sales Change Hospitality Landscape
San Francisco tourism industry insiders say the sale and “reflagging” of San Francisco hotels is at an all-time high. Here’s a short summary of changes that have occurred within the last 12 to 18 months and/or about to occur:
Best Western Hotel California
Former name: Hotel Savoy
Location: 580 Geary St., 94102
415-441-2700
www.hotelca.com
Rooms: 82
Remodel budget: Not disclosed
Media contact: Dave Severson, 415-869-4102, dave@hotelca.com
Renamed The Hotel California in the fall of 2006 and currently called Best Western Hotel California; all guestrooms and public areas remodeled in summer 2007.
Jun
1
The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2007
June 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment
| June 26, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| August 12, 2007 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
“Contributors to The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2007 will read from the book at several Northern California venues in the coming weeks. Diana Cohen, Francesca De Stefano, and Thelma Stiles will read selections from their stories at Books Inc., 3515 California Street, San Francisco, Tuesday, June 26 at 7 p.m.
“The same three will be joined by Nicole Clausing for a reading at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista, Corte Madera, CA on Sunday, Aug. 12 at 7 p.m. as a prelude to the annual Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference. Come to one or more of these events for what promise to be engaging evenings of women’s travel stories.”
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