Mar
29
Thanks for voting!
March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment
| March 31, 2010 | ||
| 12:00 am |
A big thank-you to everyone who voted for my little frog photo in Smithsonian magazine’s 7th annual photo contest. Wednesday, March 31, is the final day of voting, and you could do me a big favor by voting here—one more time.
The winners will be announced on April Fool’s Day. (Hmm … how can I believe any results announced then?)
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This photo I took in Mendocino is a finalist in Smithsonian magazine’s 7th annual photo contest. There were 60,000 contest entries from all around the world, and mine is one of the top 10 finalists in the “Natural World” category.
Last I knew, it was also in the top 5—out of 50—in the People’s Choice competition.
Mar
29
Smartphones and the Future of Photo Publishing
March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment
| April 13, 2010 | ||
| 7:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
You know you need to go: The Northern California chapter of the Society of American Media Photographers (ASMP) presents: Smartphones and the Future of Photo Publishing.
“If you thought the personal computer revolution of the 1980s and the Internet revolution of the 1990s were big, well, they were. But a new revolution merging the best features of personal computing, instant anywhere, anytime communication, and carry-everywhere portability promises to dwarf them both.
Mar
29
GrassRoutes on Facebook
March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment
If you know and love the GrassRoutes eco-travel guidebook series, check out the GrassRoutes page on Facebook.
Mar
29
Thomas Swick on Travel Writing
March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Tom Swick
Thanks to Gayle Keck for forwarding the link to this article by Thomas Swick, Not a Tourist, about travel writing. (Swick is a witty and modest man, which may explain the tiny size of his promotional photo.)
My favorite line from the article: “And I asked myself: How can I know what these people are thinking when I don’t even know what they’re eating?”
Mar
29
I’ll be teaching at the 26th annual Central Coast Writers Conference on September 17th and 18th, 2010.
March 29, 2010 | 1 Comment
| September 17, 2010 | to | September 18, 2010 |
Fellow travel writer Diane LeBow and I (Laurie McAndish King) will teach three classes at the 26th annual Central Coast Writers Conference on September 17th and 18th, 2010. Class descriptions are below. Registration info is here. If you register before July 29, the conference is only $129—a real bargain. And the Inn at Morro Bay is offering a good deal as well.
Travel as a Basis for Creative Writing and Publishing: a 3-part series
Mar
29
Literary Agent Nathan Bransford
March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment
I came across San Francisco-based literary agent Nathan Bransford’s site because he’s the keynote speaker at the Central Coast Writers Conference (September 17 and 18, 2010), at which I’m teaching. Bransford’s site has lots of useful info for writers, and has won several awards; check it out.
Mar
29
Travel Writing: Map Out the Route to Your Dream Profession, with Lisa Alpine
March 29, 2010 | Leave a Comment
| May 15, 2010 | ||
| 10:00 am | to | 4:00 pm |
“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,
Mar
29
| April 1, 2010 | ||
| 12:00 am |
REMINDER: Are your entries ready for the 26th Annual SATW Foundation Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition? The deadline is approaching (April 1), and details are posted on the SATW website.
Mar
22
Ed Hasbrouck on learning languages
March 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment
I enjoyed Ed Hasbroucks’s recent article on the intricacies of learning a foreign language. Here are a couple of excerpts:
“We tend to think of the problem of understanding a foreign language in terms of “knowing what the words” (or maybe sentences) mean. But If that were true, all we would need anywhere would be a phrase book. Anyone who’s
ever tried, and failed, to use a phrase book to communicate in a completely unknown language has quickly realized that there are multiple layers of coding that one must master before one can look up a foreign word in a dictionary or phrase book.
“One layer down in a spoken language, which groups of sounds or syllables
Mar
22
Mikel Essery Travel Writing Contest 2010
March 22, 2010 | 1 Comment
| April 30, 2010 |
The Mikel Essery Travel Writing Contest has an interesting story; check out their website. And here’s an open invitation for the travel writing contest. Get your submission in before May 1st.
“We are sending you this sincere invitation to take a look and contribute to the difussion of the Second Mikel Essery Travel Writing Contest 2010 that we want to turn into a cozy, hospitable and truthful place for writers and travelers.
“So far we have successfully completed the first, 2009 edition, and we have received words of encouragement from most of the participants. The winner in this first edition has been the Santa Fe based writer JANN HUIZENGA with the piece KEEPER OF THE KEYS, who has won a 16 day Trip to Costa Rica. Other prizes,
Mar
22
“Speed Dating” with Agents, Editors, and Publishers
March 22, 2010 | Leave a Comment
| March 27, 2010 | ||
| 9:00 am | to | 12:30 pm |
There are still a few spaces left for the Women’s National Book Association’s annual signature event, “Speed Dating with Agents, Editors, and Publishers” on March 27th. You don’t need to be a WNBA member—or even a woman—to participate. The WNBA says:
“Fiction & Nonfiction: Whether your manuscript is ready to be launched into the world or your amazing story is still a work-in-progress; don’t miss this opportunity to discuss your work with those who are in-the-know in the industry. Attending this event could change your writing life, and it certainly will be more exciting than your typical Saturday morning!”
A list of the agents participating this year is here.
Mar
11
Gayle Keck interviewed on Vagabonding
March 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Gayle Keck
Bay Area cuisine and travel writer Gayle Keck is interviewed on Rolf Potts’ Vagabonding. How did she get started? Biggest challenges? Advice? Gayle also writes at Been There, Ate That.
Mar
11
From Stephanie Elizondo Griest
March 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
From Stephanie Elizondo Griest:
First, I recently started a little blogito called Around the Blog — aroundthebloc.wordpress.com — about traveling, writing, books, and combos thereof. Please take a look!
I’ve also just released my first anthology, Best Women’s Travel Writing 2010, which features essays by 27 far-flung correspondents. It should be landing on bookshelves near you this month, and you can meet the contributors either on my blog or at one of our upcoming events.
Mar
11
Going for the Gold: Writing Competitions
March 11, 2010 | 2 Comments
Kelly Hayes-Raitt
Kelly Hayes-Raitt explains below why she enters writing competitions. Wow; I can’t wait to read her book:
In my preparation for a search for an agent, I started sending out chapters of my nearly complete book to various contests. My book (tentatively titled Keeping the Faith: An American Woman’s Listening Tour Among the World’s Forgotten) is about my work with Iraqi and Palestinian refugees — a series of stories that put a human face on US foreign policies — and about my healing from a mid-life loss. I call it a political Eat, Pray, Love.
Mar
11
Jungle Pants
March 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Anne Sigmon
Check out Jungle Pants, the beautiful new website just launched by Bay Area adventurer and travel writer Anne Sigmon.
Mar
11
BootsnAll is looking for passionate travel experts
March 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
| March 15, 2010 |
BootsnAll is looking for for travel writers. Apply by March 15:
We’re excited to launch the BootsnAll Travel Writer platform — a partnership with passionate travel writers to create expert-driven content on your favorite destinations and topics.
BootsnAll Travel Writer Current Opportunities:
* Destinations: Amsterdam, Australia, France, Hawaii, Indonesia, Ireland, Las Vegas, London, Mexico, South Africa, or you tell us!
* Themes: Adventure Travel, Business Travel, Round the World Travel, TEFL, Travel Gear or you tell us!
How It Works:
Mar
11
Winners Announced in the Fourth Annual Solas Awards
March 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
From TravelersTales.com
Winners of the Fourth Annual Solas Awards for Best Travel Story of the Year were announced March 1, 2010 on BestTravelWriting.com by the editors of Travelers’ Tales. Grand Prize winner Tawni Vee Waters collected $1,000 for “The Ashes of San Miguel,” her haunting story about death and its effect on cultures and people. Kevin McCaughey won the silver award and $750 for “We Wait for Spring, Moldova and Me,” his quirky tale of life as a teacher in the post-Soviet state. Regina Briefs-Elgin took the bronze and $500 for “The Train at Night,” her poetic, charming, and sometimes chilling account of a cross-country journey on Amtrak. Read these stories on the Great Stories page.
Mar
11
Central Coast Visitors Guide
March 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
From our friends on California’s central coast:
Central Coast, CA: Travelers hungry for the greatest diversity of experiences now have an appetizing resource to feast upon with the new 2010 edition of the California Central Coast Visitors Guide. Available online at www.CentralCoast-Tourism.com or free hard copy requests may be made via email to info@centralcoast-tourism.com. Please include your name and full mailing address.
Mar
11
Photoshop and Photography: When Is It Real?
March 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment
In the March issue of Popular Photography magazine, the editor’s note, by Miriam Leuchter, is called “What Is a Photograph?”
You’d think that, after 73 years, a magazine called Popular Photography would have figured that out. (Ba-da-bump!)
Actually, though, the editorial is about the magazine’s annual Reader’s Photos Contest. This year, in two of the categories, the winners were what the magazine calls composites, and what I call Photoshop jobs.
Dec
14
Travel Writing 101 Workshops, Buenos Aires
December 14, 2009 | Leave a Comment
| February 11, 2010 | to | February 12, 2010 |
| March 9, 2010 | to | March 10, 2010 |
| March 17, 2010 | to | March 18, 2010 |
Have you heard about Camille Cusumano’s travel writing workshops in Buenos Aires?
“If you can write, there’s a reader waiting to read what you have to say. Why not start publishing your prose? The time has never been more auspicious—and I’ll tell you why. If you are coming to Buenos Aires for your first time, be prepared to find inspiration daily in this lively Latin city and its culture, full of surprises.