Travel Writers News

Pico Iyer on Turning Japanese

Laurie — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:06:30 +0000

Thanks to Laura Read for this link to Pico Iyer’s Washington Post article The Writing Life: In which a writer living in Japan learns how to think in Japanese.
Here’s my favorite paragraph from it: “My sentences grew shorter and shorter, and more and more empty, till they looked a bit like that room where I’d slept in the temple. My pages became so quiet you had to lean in to hear them, and, as with any good Japanese, completely unstriking, and neutral on the surface. I grew less and less interested in explanations, because the mere moment seemed enough in itself; where I’d written 40 pages after my first two weeks here, and then 338 pages after a year, now I found I could barely write a postcard about Japan, if you’d asked me. Image had taken the place of idea”

Nieman Narrative Digest

Laurie — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:53:06 +0000

Here are the Nieman Narrative Digest’s essays on craft and industry. I especially like Michael Pollan’s Natural Narratives.

Travel Rights on Air Flights

Laurie — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 02:27:27 +0000

Here’s a link to the Dolans.com Straight Talk on Money audio on decreasing your chances of geting bumped, and on your rights as a bumpee. “Despite what they want you to think, airlines don’t have you completely under their thumb! Get the straight scoop on your rights as an air passenger, including exactly when an airline does and doesn’t have to compensate you, the best way to almost guarantee you won’t get bumped from an overbooked flight, and more!”

Hotel Drinking Glasses

Laurie — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:37:45 +0000

Watch this video clip by Dahlia Rideout about The Hidden Truth behind Hotel Drinking Glasses. You may decide never to drink from one again. I found it on the Divine Caroline site.

TravMedia distributes travel news to the media

Laurie — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:01:25 +0000

“Our service provides journalists with the latest breaking press releases from travel companies and organisations worldwide, together with access to images, company profiles and archive releases, PR contacts, online research tools and much more. Additionally, our ‘Journalist Alert’ service allows journalists to advise PRs of all their current needs.”For travel companies, organisations and PR agencies, TravMedia offers the complete communications channel to the key media in your region or throughout the world.”

Book Expo America

Laurie — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:49:27 +0000

May 29, 2008

June 1, 2008

BEA 2008 will be at the Los Angeles Convention Center from May 29 - June 1. New for 2008:

New Title Bookstore — With over 1500 titles and 1000 authors and publishers — be sure not to miss it!
Expanded and comprehensive podcast program including industry events and streaming video. An interactive component to BEA to enhance and expand dissemination beyond the show dates — a BEA without walls!
and more….

BookTour.com, Where Audiences and Authors Meet

Laurie — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:53:05 +0000

“We’re a free online service that connects authors and potential audiences of all sorts, from book groups to civic organizations, from bookstores to corporate events. Authors create their own page (biography, books, tour dates and availability) and any group looking for speakers can find them and contact them directly to arrange for an appearance. Relevant information for both authors and venues can be added in minutes through a simple fill-in-the-blanks interface. Connecting authors with potential audiences then becomes as easy as searching (by geography, book titles, subject, dates of availability) and sending an email.”For authors, BookTour.com serves as a one-stop tool for book promotion, allowing authors at all levels of their careers to locate receptive live audiences. For readers and audiences, BookTour.com makes finding when a favorite author is coming to your town as easy as checking the weather.

“BookTour is based in San Francisco, the city that buys more books (and wine) per capita than any in America.”

Help End World Hunger with FreeRice!

Laurie — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:24:49 +0000

“WARNING” the site reads. “This game may make you smarter. It may improve your speaking, writing, thinking, grades, job performance… ” The oh-so-addictive-and-good-for-you-too vocabulary game works like this:

You’re presented with a word.
You click on the answer that best defines the word.
If you get it right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word.
For each word you get right, FreeRice donates 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program.

The software automatically keeps track of your current level of play, your best level, and the number of grains of rice you have donated. Thanks to Dick Katz for the link, where I will doubtless spend many happy hours.

Litquake 2008

Laurie — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:36:27 +0000

October 3, 2008 6:00 pm

October 11, 2008 6:00 pm

“Pull out those shiny new dayplanners and mark them thus: Litquake 2008 begins on Friday, October 3, with a smashing tribute to another famed Bay Area author at the Herbst Theater. It will steamroll through the week with fabulous events and conclude as always with the Lit Crawl on Saturday, Oct. 11. Start breaking in those walking shoes now!”

Redroom

Laurie — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 01:28:57 +0000

Thanks to April Orcutt for this link to a SF Chronicle article about Redroom, an intriguing social networking site “where the writers are.” You’ll find Amy Tan’s virgin blog entry there, as well as links to many other writers’ blogs and websites.