Travel Writing: an AFAR contest, a conference & a Matador Network correspondent program

Travel writing--my favorite genre--is on my mind lately, and it keeps coming up on my radar. First, there was Michele Jin's presentation about the relaunch of her travel mag, Passionfruit, online. Then, while Googling a 2008 Trazzler snippet I wrote on a local travel destination, I saw that another piece, "Riding the Bonde through Historic Neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro," had been republished on Salon.com as part of a photo series called "When Getting There is the Adventure."

Travelers' Tales anthologies

Yesterday I happened to read a yoga newsletter I subscribe to. The first thing featured was a 16-minute TED talk by Lavinia Spalding, editor of the newly released Best Women's Travel Writing anthology, volume 8. (My skydiving story, "Rite of Passage," was published in volume 5, and I plan to submit an essay to volume 9.) She calls travel writing "an incredibly powerful tool--something that can break down cultural borders and help create a more tolerant, connected and loving world. (You can watch the video below.)



Here are several other great opportunities to get your work (or yourself) out there:

1. AFAR magazine's CATCH contest: Post your best highlights and win a 5-day trip to Belgium!

This contest started at noon today, and runs through August 27. Each week you post an original photo and write a "highlight" (1,500 characters or less) about their featured destination or theme. You can post as many separate entries as you want each week. This week's destination is Brazil (and Montreal), so I'm going for it! Your work cannot be previously published by a magazine or newspaper (no "Parading in Rio's Carnival" for me), but I assume blogs are okay so I may adapt some posts from my old travel blog, Beijos do Brasil/Kisses from Brazil.

According to the website: all entries will be judged by panel of judges consisting of personnel from the Sponsor on the following criterion: (a) most creative interpretation of a given featured destination (35%), (b) most suitable to AFAR spirit of travel (25%), (c) most likely to inspire other travelers (20%), and (d) best artistic composition of photo (20%).

Read the complete AFAR CATCH contest guidelines here.

2. Fall 2012 Glimpse Correspondents Program. According to the website:

Each fall and spring, the Glimpse editorial team selects 10 Glimpse Correspondents. The program is accepting applications from emerging writers, journalists, photographers and filmmakers who are working, living, studying or volunteering outside of their home countries for a period of at least 10 weeks. These correspondents are expected to produce two long-form feature stories and/or photo essays, and in return receive one-on-one support from professional editors, as well as:

• $600 stipend
• Free tuition to MatadorU ($350 value)
• Career training in travel writing and photography
• Publication on MatadorNetwork.com and Glimpse.org

Applications due July 30! Go here to apply online.

3. Travel Writers and Photographers Conference at Book Passage (northern California):
I highly recommend attending this year's conference, August 9-12. Founded and chaired by Don George, the 4-day offerings include 3-hour morning writing workshops and afternoon/evening panels and presentations by prominent editors, agents and authors such as Larry Habegger (Travelers' Tales), Jim Benning (WorldHum), Spud Hilton (S.F. Chronicle) and Pauline Frommer (travel guides). They cover all aspects from traditional magazine and newspaper writing to anthologies, guidebooks and online writing (including topics such as social media and food blogging).

If you can't make it (or can't afford the $635 fee), come to the free evening presentations and schmooze afterwards: Friday night with award-winning-travel-writer (and actor) Andrew McCarthy (8:30-10 p.m.) and Sat. night with prominent journalist Susan Orlean, author of The Orchid Thief.

Check out the Travel Writers Conference schedule for more!

Andrew McCarthy to speak at 20th annual Travel and Food Writing & Photography Conference

Tomorrow marks the 20th annual Travel and Food Writing and Photography Conference at Book Passage in northern California, which runs Aug. 11-14. This extraordinary gathering was started in 1991 by independent bookstore owner Elaine Petrocelli and conference chair Don George. The former travel editor of the San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle, the Wanderlust section of Salon.com, and Lonely Planet Publications, Don George is also the author of The Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing and the editor of six literary travel anthologies.

Don George in conversation with Andrew McCarthy

I attended the conference in 2005 and 2007, inspired and encouraged by great writers like Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Rolf Potts, Tim Cahill and Isabel Allende. The event includes a morning workshop series, afternoon panels, and networking ala casual lunches and dinners with editors, publishers and agents (including Kimberley Cameron, whom I interned with this year).

Last year they added food writing to the travel & photography components, and this year includes more online writing than in the past. Now, in addition to traditional offerings like Personal Essay and Memoir with Dave Farley and Travelers' Tales founding editor Larry Habegger, you can sign up for a daily morning workshop like Travel Writing and Blogging in the Digital Age with WorldHum founding editor Jim Benning.

This year's keynote speaker is actor-turned-travel writer extraordinaire Andrew McCarthy. Well-known for his roles in St. Elmos Fire and Pretty in Pink, he's a two-time Lowell Thomas Award winner and was named 2010 Travel Journalist of the Year by the SATW Foundation. Join Andrew McCarthy in conversation with Don George Aug. 13 at 8 p.m. -- just $10 for non-attendees. If you can't make it, check out a recent recap of a prior interview on Don George's gadling website.

After I took an additional 6-week course from Don George at the bookstore, my first travel story won a silver category award from Travelers' Tales 2008 Solas Awards. Then "Rite of Passage," about skydiving in New Zealand, was published by Travelers' Tales in 2009. Michael Shapiro, a conference alum and instructor, later helped me shape my Carnival in Rio article, which found a home at the LA Times. How I'd love to return this weekend to meet the travel editor, Catherine Hamm, but I'll be on a Jewish women's retreat in the woods of Mendocino--gearing up for a new chapter as summer comes to a close. 

Thinking about my writing dreams, aspirations and goals for the year ahead, I'll take Don George's advice with me, from his top tips for writing conferences:

"The road doesn't end when the conference ends. That's just the beginning. Follow up with the contacts you've made. Incorporate the lessons you've learned. There's no such thing as overnight success: All success is the result of hard work and respectful persistence. Pursue your passion; follow your dream. There's no guarantee where your journey will take you, but... there's only one way to get there: step by step."