F164. Can Literary Quarterlies Save Travel Writing?

Room L100 J, Lower Level
Friday, April 10, 2015
10:30 am to 11:45 am

 

Fine narrative travel writing rarely appears in travel magazines. The stories included annually in The Best American Travel Writing anthology typically come from general interest magazines, literary quarterlies, and online publications. Being less dependent on advertising (particularly the quarterlies), they can run leisurely, contemplative, objective, even critical writing. Panelists will talk about their experiences writing for glossy travel magazines and less commercial publications.


Participants

Moderator:

Evan Balkan is the author of six books of nonfiction. He coordinates the English Department at the Community College of Baltimore County. His fiction and nonfiction, primarily in the areas of travel and outdoor recreation, have appeared in varied publications throughout North America and Europe.

Pamela Petro is the author of three books of place-based nonfiction, and teaches creative writing in Lesley University's MFA program and at Smith College. She is also a visual artist, and her writing and artwork have appeared in many magazines, newspapers, and literary journals in the US and Britain. 

Sally Shivnan writes fiction and essays, including a good deal of travel writing, and teaches creative writing at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), where she is director of writing and rhetoric. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, websites, newspapers, magazines, and anthologies.

Jim Benning is the co-founder and co-editor of the award-winning online travel magazine WorldHum.com. His writing has appeared in Men's Journal, Outside, National Geographic Adventure, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times.

Thomas Swick is the author of Unquiet Days: At Home in Poland and A Way to See the World: From Texas to Transylvania with a Maverick Traveler. His stories have appeared in Best American Travel Writing 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2012.

#AWP24

February 7–10, 2024
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Convention Center