Travel Writing

@brittarnhild

As I wrote in Britt-Arnhild´s House in the Woods the other day, I have had to say no to an invitation from Travellers´Tales to go to a Travel Writing Workshop in London in June. Instead of feeling sad for not going, I have decided to have my own workshop, in my Blue Studio. A pile of books, a notebook, pencils, folders with photos on my MacBook, old travel journals, and a study plan. A study plan which includes travels of course.

This is going to be so much fun.

 

Among my first lessons is to read Lonely Planet´s Guide to Travel Writing, a gift from my good friend Jane whan I came to stay in her Serenity House in California some time ago. I am having my first travel writing lesson today, I open the book and I read the Introduction.

And I stop there. Under the title "A (Very) Short History" , which starts with the words: Travel writing is an ancient impulse, people have been sharing accounts of their journeys ever since they first began to wander........ Then it continues with a list of well known travel writers........all of them, except Jan Morris, male.

 I could hardly believe what I read. I had to read the page once more. Still all men, except Jan Morris (who actually was a man when she started her travel writing career.......) 

Where are the women? Sure, they are there. I know, because I have collected female travel litterature for more than 10 years. And I have a rich collection, with names as Alexandra David-Neel, Mary Woolstonecraft. Freya Stark, Isabelle Bird, Dervla Murphy, Margaret Fountaine, Frances Mayes and Marianne North to mention just a few.

I am going to continue my Lonely Planet´s Guide to Travel Writing lesson, and hopefully I will meet a fellow woman or two pretty soon. And if I do not, I still have my extended female travel writers´collection, and I have places like Journeywomen and female travelling. 

But most of all I have myself. I have my own travels, my own images, my own words.
They will keep me going.

 

::::::::::::::::::::

The photos illustrating this post are from one of my travels, somewhere, sometime.

 

Comments

[Kristi Jalics]

This will be a wonderful study for you, Britt-Arnhild. A great joy, I think, both the traveling and the writing. And remembering and sharing.

An early female travel writer I enjoy is Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. I have a very old copy of one of her books and treasure it.

[mardelle]

This journey is going to be fun…thanks

[ARR]

This is going to be one workshop that you will really love!!! And, we, your readers are going to love it also as we travel along with you. Thanks.

[Marilyn]

I hadn't thought about more men writing travel books, I do love that you will break the mold and become a woman who loves to write about travel.

[Jane Hansjergen]

Well that is terrible about Lonely Planets bias towards men writers. I had always liked Lonely Planet, because they seemed to have a lot of good advice for women travelers, traveling alone. Phooey on them...you and I both know a lot of fabulous women writers. Two of my favorites continue to be the words of Agnes Newton Keith, and of Osa Johnson!!

[sukipoet]

Is it Mary Morris who wrote several travel books abt traveling in Mexico? Terrible that book has such a male slant. It needs to be revised with a woman's touch. Exciting adventure you are on.