Sep
6
“World in Focus” photo contest (extended deadline)
September 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| September 8, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
Round up your best travel photos! National Geographic Traveler has extended the entry deadline for their “World in Focus” photo contest to September 8th. Categories are travel portraits, outdoor scenes, sense of place, spontaneous moments, and photo essay. Grand prize is a 10-day safari in Tanzania.
Sep
6
Dog Blog
September 6, 2009 | 2 Comments
For tips on dog-friendly travel, information about canine-friendly hotels and beaches, a list of other dog blogs, product reviews, and more, head on over to Have Dog Blog Will Travel.
Sep
6
Trompe L’oeil artist John Pugh
September 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Artist John Pugh at work
In the mood for an artistic staycation? Thanks to Chris Lunn for sending these trip-worthy images by trompe l’oeil artist John Pugh. Some are near enough to the SF Bay Area—Los Gatos, Chico, San Jose, and Santa Cruz—that you can stop by to see them.
Main Street, Los Gatos, California. Even the woman peering into the ruin is part of the mural.
Taylor Hall, California State University, Chico, California. The Doric-style columns are actually nothing but paint.
Honolulu, Hawaii. This mural took two months of studio work to plan and another six months to execute with the help of 11 other artists. Featured are Queen Liliuokalani, the last monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, and Duke Kahanamoku, the ultimate father of surfing.
This mural at the Cafe Trompe L'oeil, San Jose, California, is entitled "Art Imitating Life Imitating Art Imitating Life." This customer doesn't leave at closing time.
Twenty-nine Palms, California. Valentine the bull and a patient buzzard are waiting for the artist to awaken.
Sep
6
Jan Morris
September 6, 2009 | 3 Comments
I had the great pleasure of hearing Jan Morris—in conversation with Don George—at Book Passage on August 27th. Morris spoke about her forthcoming book, Contact! (“I’m a great advocate of the exclamation mark,” she asserts) available in the UK in October. Morris is nearly a legend for her ability to write about places; her new book, however, consists of stories about people: a cafe pianist, a cat illustrator, people met on a train or seen out a window.
Sep
6
Scott Rosenberg on blogging
September 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Lots of us are blogging these days, and many of us are not certain why we are doing it. Scott Rosenberg spoke at the last Left Coast Writers Literary Salon from his new book, Say Everything, about the history of blogging (which is ten years old, in its current form!). Reviewers call the book “elegantly accessible” and “certain to be a classic.”
Scott also provided some insight into the future of blogging. Here are some of my notes from his talk:
One of the reasons blogging is important is because writing in public—blogging—helps us develop ideas. [Blogging is a particularly good medium for that because of its immediacy and democracy.]
What defines a blog?
Generally, it’s 1) personal, it 2) has lots of outbound links, and 3) the latest post is on “top.” (No interminable internal editorial meetings to determine which story will be the lead.)
Is blogging going to go away?
No.
Is it going to change?
Sep
6
Michael Shapiro’s Winning Boy of Summer
September 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Congratulations to Michael Shapiro for winning the Travel Classics West 2008 contest for Best Travel Story on Arizona. “In ‘Boy of Summer’ freelance writer Michael Shapiro received the ultimate assignment: spend a week in Arizona at a baseball fantasy camp, playing ball with and being coached by San Francisco Giants players who were once his idols.”
Who says travel writing doesn’t pay? Michael won a four-night stay at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino, golf at We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, dinner for two at Ahnala Mesquite Room, and a horseback ride or a Jeep tour at Fort McDowell Adventures, plus a guaranteed spot at 2009 Travel Classics West 2009 (conference fee included).
Sep
6
Travel humor
September 6, 2009 | 3 Comments
Thanks to Dick Jordan for forwarding this—undocumented—travel humor, supposedly offered by an airline ticket agent who works in Washington, D.C.:
1. I had a congresswoman ask for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn’t get messed up by being near the window. (On an airplane!)
2. I got a call from a congressman’s staffer, who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information, and then he interrupted me with, ”I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts.”
Sep
6
World’s Best Tour Operator
September 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Travel & Leisure recently released its 2009 “World’s Best” issue, which highlights the best of everything travel related. In it, Austin-Lehman Adventures was named “The World’s Best Tour Operator” beating out thousands of operators around the globe!
And Trusted Adventures, of which Austin-Lehman is a founding member, just launched their new website. “As you visit the new site you will explore new ways to find your next adventure with: geographic map searches, activity category searches and audience targeting searches.”
Sep
1
A Village, or a Zoo?
September 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment
A Village, or a Zoo? I Wanted to See Thailand’s Long-Necked Women. Some Would Say That Makes Me Part of the Problem.
“Almost any traveler who has ventured into nature or the developing world has to grapple with such moral dilemmas. Some people think it is cruel to swim with dolphins, because it forces the animals to be kept in captivity. Others refuse to visit authoritarian countries such as Zimbabwe, fearful that their tourist dollars will help prop up repressive regimes. And almost anyone wanting to catch a glimpse of an indigenous culture—in the rain forests of Ecuador or the yurts of Mongolia—has to be aware that the very presence of a foreigner likely alters and distorts typical native behavior.
Sep
1
Camille Cusumano in town to Tango
September 1, 2009 | 1 Comment
| September 29, 2009 | ||
| 7:00 pm | ||
| October 1, 2009 | ||
| 7:00 pm |
Camille Cusumano, author of Tango, an Argentine Love Story (the travel memoir of a woman who loved, lost, got mad—and decided to dance) will be back from Buenos Aires for two weeks by popular demand, appearing at the San Francisco Museum of Performance & Design (September 29) and the Larkspur Library (October 1), as part of the library’s Armchair Travel series.
Sep
1
Win a 12-day culture and spa tour of Vietnam
September 1, 2009 | 1 Comment
| November 30, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
The website Wanderlust and Lipstick – “Your destination for women’s travel” announced a travel writing contest with a Grand Prize of a 12-day Health and Harmony land tour of Vietnam—valued at $1995—with Buffalo Tours. There will also be five Best in Category prizes of Bayliss bags from Overland Equipment and CoolMax Blankets and Travel Pillows from Cocoon. The contest is open to women only. Deadline for submitting your entries is November 30, 2009. Categories are:
- Adventure
- Family Fun
- Food & Drink
- Off the Beaten Path
- Spiritual
Complete contest details here.
Aug
19
Culinary Writing Fellowship
August 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| September 10, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
Thanks to Kelly Hayes-Raitt for sending the information below. I’m including this because food and travel are so intimately connected—in my mind, anyway. (Kelly says, “I was just awarded a travel writing fellowship at the Writers’ Colony, which I read about on your blog! Thank you!”)
NEW 2009 Culinary Writing Fellowship ~ deadline 9/10/09
The Duncan Eat-Write Fellowship Fellowship will be awarded to an author writing a cookbook or work of fiction or nonfiction that involves a love of food or healthful eating. This Fellowship provides a residency in the Writers’ Colony Culinary Suite equipped with full test kitchen. The Culinary Suite and test kitchen were designed, sponsored by and featured in Renovation Home Magazine.
Aug
13
Travelers’ Tales Sponsors Solas Awards
August 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| September 21, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
From Travelers’ Tales: Award-winning publisher Travelers’ Tales is the sponsor of The Solas Awards, an annual competition to honor excellence in travel writing.
Extraordinary stories about travel and the human spirit have been the cornerstones of our books since 1993. With the Solas Awards we honor writers whose work inspires others to explore. We’re looking for the best stories about travel and the world—funny, illuminating, adventurous, uplifting, scary, inspiring, poignant—stories that reflect the unique alchemy that occurs when you enter unfamiliar territory and begin to see the world differently as a result. We hope these awards will be a catalyst for those who love to leave home and tell others about it.
Aug
13
Call for Submissions: The Best Women’s Travel Writing 2010
August 13, 2009 | 2 Comments
| September 1, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
From Christy Quinto at Travelers’ Tales:
Travelers’ Tales is seeking submissions to its annual anthology of the greatest travel stories penned by women from around the world. Our books capture the full range of travel experiences: adventure, mysticism, humor, cross-cultural connection, transformation.
Story length can be anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 words. Previously published pieces are fine, as long as you retain the copyright. Payment is $100 plus a free copy of the anthology. Author Stephanie Elizondo Griest will edit the collection.
Jun
13
| September 1, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
Travel writing that helps to sustain or enhance the unique and valuable character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and/or the well-being of its residents.
Categories:
Best Travel Article or Essay for Planet Earth
Best Travel Book for Planet Earth
Apr
19
Writing Retreat in Italy with Laura Deutsch
April 19, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| September 25, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
September 25 – October 2, 2009
Optional extension for Arezzo Antique Fair, October 2 – 5
Join nationally published writer Laura Deutsch for a week of writing and traveling in Tuscany and Umbria. Medieval hill towns, Renaissance art, peaceful landscapes and lively markets will provide great material and inspiration for writers of all genres. Accommodations in lovely studio apartments, each with private bath and kitchen.
For more information, go to lauradeutsch.com and click on Writing Retreats in Italy. To register, contact Laura at 415.388.0900 or info@lauradeutsch.com.
Mar
29
Writing Workshops in Turkey
March 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| September 12, 2009 | ||
| 12:00 am |
The Kaptan Sevket
From Robin Sparks:
Merhaba from Beautiful Turkey,
Our last two writing workshops held aboard Turkish gulets were wildly successful! So…. we’re doing it again, not once but twice this coming September 12-19 and September 19-20, 2009 off the coast of Turkey. Reserve your spot by emailing Robin Sparks at Robin@RobinSparks.com. The 10 spaces available for the workshops will fill quickly. Make sure you’re on that boat!
More details and testimonials are on writing instructor Larry Habegger’s site.