Jan
7
Donald George’s Intensive Travel Writing Workshop
January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| January 13, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
I know this class works; it’s how I [Laurie McAndish King] got my start: Eight Tuesdays, Jan. 13-March 10
From Book Passage: Donald George’s eight-week Intensive Travel Writing workshop is patterned on a graduate school creative writing program. The primary emphasis is on the craft of travel writing. Students read and critique writing assignments each week in class. Assignments progress from a few paragraphs to full-length articles, with the goal of writing publishable-quality pieces. George’s workshop also looks at the marketing of travel articles. Students learn to research stories, write query letters and work with editors. George is the former travel editor of the San Francisco Examiner and former global travel editor for Lonely Planet guide books. He is the creator of Don’s Place travel blog and RECCE online travel magazine. George is the chairman of the annual Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference. Enrollment is limited.
Jan
7
Writing Salon’s “Meet the Teachers” evening — Berkeley
January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| January 17, 2009 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 8:00 pm |
From the Writing Salon: In the spirit of renewed hope and optimism for 2009, the Writing Salon is kicking off the New Year with two specialĂ‚Â “Meet the Teachers” soirees. You’re all cordially invited to drop by for a writerly evening of camaraderie, conversation and information. All you need to bring is your interest and enthusiasm. We’ll provide the wine, cheese and crackers.
Berkeley
Strawberry Creek Design Ctr.
2121 Bonar St. #D
Saturday, Jan. 17th
6:30 to 8 p.m.
Teachers Who’ll Be There:
Jan
7
Writing Salon’s “Meet the Teachers” evening — San Francisco
January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| January 11, 2009 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 8:00 pm |
From the Writing Salon: In the spirit of renewed hope and optimism for 2009, the Writing Salon is kicking off the New Year with two specialĂ‚Â “Meet the Teachers” soirees. You’re all cordially invited to drop by for a writerly evening of camaraderie, conversation and information. All you need to bring is your interest and enthusiasm. We’ll provide the wine, cheese and crackers.
Sunday, Jan. 11th
San Francisco
The Mill Building
720 York St.#207
6:30 to 8 p.m.
Teachers Who’ll Be There:
Jan
7
Magazine Death Pool
January 7, 2009 | 1 Comment
From Suzie Rodriguez: I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the last couple of weeks about the outlook for print newspapers and magazines (as opposed to online versions). If you’re concerned about what’s happening with the traditional magazine industry, there is good reason. An increasing number of mags are folding; those hanging on are laying off staff–many (perhaps most) of whom join the ranks of freelancers. That means rising numbers of us are chasing ever-diminishing possibilities.
Jan
7
Jamaica’s “Be the Change” Program
January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| January 15, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
From Global Volunteer Network (GVN): what if this year our New Year’s resolutions not only focused on bettering our personal self but also bettering the global community?
If you have ever had a desire to learn about working for the United Nations, or a desire to start an international charity, or have just wondered how to get into the field of International Development, then GVN’s ‘Be The Change Program’ in Jamaica is the perfect way to start 2009.
Jan
7
Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth
January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
From a press release: National Geographic Adventure magazine has named Boundless Journeys one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth” in their most recent issue (February, 2009). A panel of editors, travel writers, and experts judged 248 travel companies, and Boundless Journeys ranked in the top 30 worldwide and top 10 for “Hiking & Trekking” companies. Even more importantly, and something we are very proud of, we received the second highest score given (98.33 out of 100) for client satisfaction. Our loyal following of Boundless Journeys guests is a true testament to the care we take in providing that our journeys exceed expectations each and every time.
Jan
7
Rick Smolan to share secrets of funding your own book project
January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| January 13, 2009 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
From ASMP NorCal: If you’ve ever dreamed of producing a book of your own photography or wondered how to raise sponsorship for a photo project please join photographer Rick Smolan on Tuesday January 13th at Left Space Studios to learn more about the pioneering work this creative photographer has done in the publishing and photography words for the past two decades. Smolan will share his knowledge of how to pitch your projects to publishers and how to find corporate sponsorship for your project. He’ll also share tips and secrets about how to get the media to help you publicize your book once its published.
Rick Smolan (view inspiring video: Natasha’s Story, an American Homecoming) is a former Time, Life, and National Geographic photographer best known as the creator of the Day in the Life book series.
Jan
7
Bakanization bites back
January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Here’s a link to a Wall Street Journal article about Russian academic and former KGB analyst Igor Panarin predicting balkanization of U.S. I’ll be glad to continue residence in the California Republic. Perhaps this will lead to new trends in travel? They say forewarned is forearmed.
Jan
7
Keyserling on self
January 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
The shortest path to oneself leads around the world.
– Count Hermann Keyserling
Jan
5
Tango, an Argentine Love Story
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| January 5, 2009 | ||
| 7:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
It will be a scintillating start for the New Year at the first Left Coast Writers Literary Salon of 2009: Camille Cusumano, author of Tango, an Argentine Love Story, will light up the evening with a talk about her love of literature and her passion for tango. Camille has even promised a short tango demonstration.
“Camille Cusumano shares tales of literary adventure and an eventful year and a half in Buenos Aires practicing tango and Zen. Camille packed her bags, slit skirts, and tango shoes and moved to Argentina. The result is a smoothly written memoir that is romantic, redemptive and as captivating as the dance it celebrates.
Jan
5
Great towel for travelers from Discovery Trekking
January 5, 2009 | 1 Comment
I recently came across what seems like a very useful product for travelers: a lightweight, fast-drying towel that contains silver (which inhibits bacterial growth). According to the manufacturer, it never gets musty smelling, dries much faster than conventional towels, protects from the sun (SPF 15+), and packs very small. Plus, sand doesn’t stick to it. The technology is similar to that used in athletic “wicking” shirts, which pull water from the skin and spread it across the fabric’s surface so it can evaporate very quickly. (Most towels absorb water inside the fibers, which is why they take so long to dry.) These towels have been reviewed in major magazines such as Sailing and Swimming World, and were chosen by Camping Life magazine for their 2008 Editors choice list. They come in many colors and four sizes.
Jan
5
iWend Travel Writing Contest
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| January 23, 2009 | ||
| 8:00 pm |
iWend kicks off 2009 with a “Traveling By Alternative Transportation” Essay Contest:
“Had to do some bike repair while sightseeing in Vietnam? Spent a few wicked hours exploring the jungle atop an elephant? We want to hear your best stories on traveling by alternative transportation. Cycles, rickshaws, camels, canoes; anything that doesn’t require fossil fuels to run, we want you to write about it!
“The author of the best story is going to get to build their own Timbuk2 bag – meaning you get to choose the colors and fabrics! – and we’re also throwing in some cool stuff from Planet Bike.
Jan
5
Galapagos Islands in the Year of Darwin
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
From the California Academy of Sciences, a great deal on travel in the Galapagos, February 9-18, 2009:
“Just a few spaces remain on our once-in-a-lifetime experience—the Galapagos Islands during the celebration of Darwin’s 200th birthday. Spend seven nights aboard the Isabela II, equipped with kayaks and a glass-bottom boat, and enjoy intimate encounters with a rich variety of wildlife that inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Swim with sea lions and sea turtles, hike in lava landscapes, and discover a birdwatcher’s paradise. Join Academy leader Meg Burke and noted Darwin scholar David Kohn for a winter getaway unlike any other.
Jan
5
Sketchfest on January 19
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| January 19, 2009 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
From our friends at Litquake:
Litquake is pleased as punch to team up this year with SKETCHFEST, the nationally-prominent comedy festival that takes place each January at venues around The City! We will be co-presenting Celebrity Autobiography, the smash hit lit-meets-comedy event from New York City being performed here for the first time, in which an all-star cast reads hilarious celebrity memoirs live.
The cast includes “Saturday Night Live’s” Jason Sudeikis, as well as Michael McKean (“This is Spinal Tap”), Annette O’Toole (“Smallville”), Rachel Dratch (“SNL”), Scott Thompson (“Kids in the Hall”), Laraine Newman (“SNL”) and Celebrity Autobiography co-creators Eugene Pack and Dayle Reyfel.
Jan
5
Rothke on Going
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
I learn by going where I have to go.
– Theodore Roethke
Thanks to Amy Tsaykel for this quotation.
Jan
5
Nye on finding one’s way
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
“To live without roads seemed one way not to get lost. To make maps
of stone and grass, to rub stars together, find a spark.”
– Naomi Shihab Nye
Thanks to Amy Tsaykel for this quotation.
Jan
5
Regretful Rejection of Divine Composition
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to Gayle Keck for sending this best rejection slip ever, translated from a Chinese economic journal. (Gayle did not receive the rejection letter; she just read about it.)
“We have read your manuscript with boundless delight. If we were to publish your paper, it would be impossible for us to publish any work of lower standard. And as it is unthinkable that in the next thousand years we shall see its equal, we are, to our regret, compelled to return your divine composition, and to beg you a thousand times to overlook our short sight and timidity.”
Jan
5
Two new articles from Bill Zarchy
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
“Paris When It Sizzles” was published in the anthology Chicken Soup for the Soul: Empty Nesters:
An excerpt: “Back home in the Bay Area, we’ve left behind an empty nest; our kids are no longer teenagers and now have their own lives … Years before, the summer after I graduated from high school, my parents went to Europe for the first time … Now I understand their desire to travel. I was the younger child in my family, about to flee the nest, but I had no clue that my folks were grieving, in their own way, for the tight family we had been, until the same thing happened to Susan and me.”
“Shooting Into the Void,” published in American Cinematographer magazine, details Zarchy’s experiences filming the PBS science series “Closer to Truth,” which premiered its fourth season in fall 2008 with a fresh visual approach.
Jan
5
Hanukkah in Santa Monica by Tom Lehrer
January 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Thanks to Bob Ecker for this link to Tom Lehrer’s Hanukkah in Santa Monica, a travel video if I ever saw one.
Dec
6
Creative Writing Class
December 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
| January 19, 2009 | ||
| 6:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
CREATIVE WRITING
SAN RAMON CAMPUS
Diablo Valley College
1690 Watermill Road
San Ramon, CA 94582
Instruction includes: memoir, travel and personal essays; poetry; short stories, & dramatic monologue
·       Learn basic and advanced techniques
·       Share your writing with friendly, supportive writers
·       Practice the art and craft of revision
English 222—9062 ~ Creative Writing
Monday Evenings 6:00—9:00 pm
January 19—May 18, 2009
Prerequisite: Eligibility for English 122 via
DVC assessment test or a college degree
Creative Writing satisfies CSU, UC requirements
Dec
4
SATW Travel Writing and Photography Institute
December 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment
| January 9, 2009 12:00 am | to | January 11, 2009 12:00 am |
Thanks to Karen Misuraca for forwarding this information:
Plan to register for the next SATW Travel Writing and Photography Institute session in January 2009! (open to non-members). The faculty is comprised of a variety of individuals that have proven themselves in the marketplace, whether that be in writing, photography, video or website delivery.
Want to learn how to be a better travel writer-photographer? The Institute’s intensive one-weekend travel writing course is the way to jump-start a career or to accelerate one, and to make valuable professional contacts.
Dec
2
World Nomads’ 2009 Travel Scholarship
December 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment
| January 9, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
From GeckoGoneBlogging:
“Wanna be a travel writer? Get a World Nomads’ 2009 Travel Scholarship & Writing assignment. Love to travel? Want to be a published travel writer?
“Here’s your awesome chance to do it – between now and January 9, 2009 – our friends over at World Nomads are offering a travel writing scholarship to Kerala, where you’ll be writing for Footprint Guides.
“What do I win?
* flight to Kerala, India between February 16th and March 7, 2008
* a 10-day tour with Blue Yonder Tour
* self-guided assignment updating travel insurance: accommodations, bars & restaurants, etc.
* Footprint travel writing assignment for Footprints India 2009
Aug
26
SATW’s Careers in Travel Journalism
August 26, 2008 | 1 Comment
| January 9, 2009 12:00 am | to | January 11, 2009 12:00 am |
“The 14th annual Society of American Travel Writers’ Institute for Travel Writing & Photography will be led by a faculty that includes leading North American travel writers, editors and photographers. New faculty members this year include award-winning broadcast journalist and website producer-publisher Bea Broda, and Florida expert, Sandra Friend, author of some 20 books, 12 of which cover Florida travel and the outdoors.
“They join established faculty members:
USA Today Deputy Managing Editor for Travel, Veronica Stoddart
Online travel journalism pioneer, Lee Foster
Self-publishing authority, M. Timothy O’Keefe
Award-winning guidebook expert, Christopher P. Baker
University Press of Florida Editor-in-Chief, John W. Byram
and others