Travel Like a Writer

Bookish Art in Temple, Texas

Posted April 4, 2023

Spotted: BOOKISH ART in Temple Texas! Discovered on a stop in the Troy/Temple area for an author school visit last month. This was situated by the Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum. 

 

 

New Orleans: Sites and Stories of the Crescent City

Posted July 23, 2018

Travel articles about the literary side of New Orleans may mention Mark Twain’s observations about “stirring” Canal Street. Or point out Tennessee Williams’ several habitations. Or list the authors who frequented the Hotel Monteleone with its famous, moving Carousel Bar (Ernest Hemingway, Eudora Welty and Anne Rice number among the hotel’s notable visitors).

These bookish/author highlights certainly piqued my interest.  But during my visits, I discovered so many other Crescent City connections to the world of poetry and literature in this most storied of cities.  Here some of those connections that I sought out or – even more fun – stumbled upon.

The Tale of Mardi Gras 

Even if your visit doesn’t coincide with Mardi Gras, you can experience a hint of this famous, raucous celebration at Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World (1380 Port of New Orleans), a working, float-building site.  The family-friendly program begins with a film detailing the history of Mardi Gras and the Blaine Kern company followed by an invitation to sample a slice of King Cake (tradition dictates that if you find the plastic baby charm in your slice, you’ll enjoy good fortune but must also host the next Mardi Gras party). 

Afterwards, you can become a character of sorts yourself – there’s a selection of sparkling festival costumes to try on for a spirited selfie.  Next, a guide conducts a tour through the workshop where float-making artists practice their craft, before setting visitors loose to wander a warehouse full of dozens of finished floats.  Among these larger-than-life sculpted scenes you’ll undoubtedly spot characters from history, comic books, fairytales and fables.

Restaurants with Literary References

Of course, New Orleans is also famous for its cuisine.  Be sure to sample the Creole and Cajun dishes made with locally abundant ingredients and prepared using cooking techniques passed down and practiced by the people of the area’s different, mingling cultures. While New Orleans travel articles typically offer tips on where to find the best etouffee, jambalaya or gumbo, the specific focus of this blog series prompts me instead to mention establishments with names that give a nod to literature.  Evangeline restaurant (329 Decatur), presumably named after Longfellow’s epic poem about the Acadian heroine, and the Huck Finn Café (135 Decatur) are some I have come across – although the Huck Finn Cafe, it seems, may have recently changed names.

The Street Scene

The bustling street scene is another tourist draw.  Street performers of all kinds sing, play instruments or pound a beat on buckets on French Quarter street corners. One brand of busker that caught me by surprise, however, was a young man who proclaimed himself to be the “World’s Okayest Poet” and who set up his tiny pop-up enterprise at the corner of Rue Royale and Rue Toulouse.  Lights made of red plastic cups encircled his small, cloth-covered table on which rested a typewriter.

After I requested a poem, the young man introduced himself as Cory.  “The organic nature of it is what tickles me,” Cory said of the impromptu art he creates.  He also shared his thoughts on the satisfaction he finds in adding to someone’s experience and memories of New Orleans.  Visitors have told him they framed his typed, in-the-moment poem as a cherished memento of their trip.  With his permission, I snapped some photos of the poet at work.

Stories in the Cemeteries

What holds more hints of life stories (and death stories, for that matter) than a cemetery?  New Orleans’s high water table led, in part, to the practice of above-the-ground entombment for the deceased instead of traditional burial sites marked by gravestones, giving the area’s cemeteries a very distinct look. I booked a spot on a group tour of St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 with Save Our Cemeteries, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and promotion of New Orleans’s historic cemeteries (some online sites suggest that due to the possibility of criminal activity, it is safest to explore cemeteries with tour groups).  Our knowledgeable guide shared fascinating information about entombment practices of the area and the famous people who were laid to rest there, including Chess champion Paul Morphy, Homer Plessy of the Supreme Court civil rights case Plessy vs. Ferguson and, reportedly, Voodoo Queen Marie La Veau. One still empty, pyramid-shaped tomb in that cemetery is, we were told, the property of actor Nicolas Cage.

A Multitude of Museums

New Orleans is the site of several art, history and culture museums, as well as some more unusual museums. As three of my children’s picture books involve bugs, I could not resist a visit to the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium.  The Insectarium offers plenty of fascinating exhibits, many which feature live bugs. I grabbed a snack at the museum’s Tiny Termite Cafe, and it took me awhile to notice there were live beetles on display beneath the clear-covering of the restaurant table.  There’s also a separate area in the Insectarium, the Bug Appetit section, offering samples of delicacies not found on most menus – “Chocolate Chirp Cookies” (chocolate chips cookies with roasted crickets) “Six-Legged Salsa” (tomato salsa with crab-boiled mealworms) and “Cinnamon Bug Crunch” (fried waxworms with cinnamon and sugar) were among the offerings.

Since I also number a WWII historical fiction picture book among my titles, I couldn’t miss the WWII Museum.  I highly recommend a visit to this stirring and extremely well done museum for everyone, but it would truly be a rich source of research material for any writer whose work-in-progress takes place during the 1940s.  The exhibits explore many aspects of this era when the world was at war, from the battlefields to life on the home front.

An Abundance of Bookstores 

And now, a bit about bookstores.  I found Faulkner House Books  (624 Pirate Alley) listed in a visitor’s guide and sought it out one sunny day.  A plaque on the outside notes that William Faulkner wrote his first novel, Soldiers’ Pay, there in 1925.  Inside the shop, a kindly staff member graciously answered my questions about Faulkner’s former residence.  She shared that it was a boarding house at the time, and told me he had passed through the door I had come through.  In this small, chandelier-lit shop, the books are obviously carefully selected and of a great variety. 

After asking for permission to take photos, I mentioned I was a children’s writer. She directed me to a small selection of classics – Huckleberry Finn, Where the Wild Things Are, Little Women and others.  The staff member also gave me a small flyer titled The Antiquarian & Second-Hand Bookshops of New Orleans that listed several books shops specializing in different literary offerings. I appreciated this spirit of mutual promotion and support among the city’s indie book stores.

One shop that appeared on the list happened to be close by my hotel.  Crescent City Books (124 Baronne St.) proved to be a treasure trove of used books, and I selected and purchased two on a topic I was currently researching.  Also, I met the shop cat, curled in a chair surrounded by cat-themed books.

Despite my frequent visits to New Orleans, there’s still much I have yet to explore – the New Orleans Jazz Historical National Park, the St. Louis Cathedral, and nine more bookstores on the indie book list, to name a few.  Without question, there are many more stories to experience in this lively, historic city, and much to inspire the future works of writers and storytellers of all kinds.

 

So You Want to Write About…

New Orleans, Louisiana offers research opportunities/experiences that may be especially meaningful to writers exploring particular subjects or settings.  Here is just a sampling:

Cajun/Creole Cooking – Several establishments offer Cajun and Creole cooking classes.  I experienced and enjoyed an afternoon demonstration class offered by the New Orleans School of Cooking (neworleansschoolofcooking.com), 524 St. Louis St.

Cemeteries on New Orleans – The preservationist, non-profit organization Save Our Cemeteries (www.saveourcemeteries.org) offers guided tours of the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, St. Louis Cemetery No. 2 and Lafayette Cemetery No. 1

Insects – The Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium (www.audobonnatureinstitute.org/insectarium), 423 Canal St.

Jazz – New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park (www.nps.gov/jazz), 916 North Peters St.; New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Ave.; Live jazz performances may be enjoyed at Preservation Hall (www.preservationhall.com), 726 St. Peters St, and many cafes, restaurants, bars and even on street corners

Mardi Gras – Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World (www.mardigrasworld.com), 1380 Port of New Orleans Place (Free shuttle available from downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter)

New Orleans History – Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve French Quarter Visitor Center (www.nps.gov/jela/french-quarter-site.htm), 419 Decatur St.; Historic New Orleans Collection (www.hnoc.org), 535 Royal St. with a second campus and research library at 410 Chartres St.

World War II – The National WWII Museum (www.nationalww2museum.org), 945 Magazine St.

Yosemite National Park: Stories in the Stones, Stories in the Stars

Posted April 2, 2018

By Catherine Stier

Enamored with the experience of past visits to our National Parks (including the Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone), I jumped at the chance to tack on a three-night stay at Yosemite National Park to a previously planned California trip.

As anticipated, I found at Yosemite stunning natural beauty, but also something especially heartening to a writer: again and again, the power of story and the written word were the subtext of the presentations, performances and exhibits that showcased the wonders of this place. And as I would learn, the power of the pen as wielded by some individuals even accounted for the park’s very existence.

But first, a few words about this amazing place. Perhaps one of Yosemite’s unexpected and certainly less celebrated charms in a park that draws adrenaline-fueled climbers is the accessibility for all ages and abilities to remarkable vistas. Even the roads, lodgings and shuttle stops offer incredible views. One may watch the thundering, 2,425 feet tall Yosemite Falls from the grounds of the Yosemite Valley Lodge, and gaze at what park brochures describe as a “massive granite monolith,” the imposing El Capitan, from shuttles buses and road – no hiking required.

A good place to gain an overview at most National Parks is the visitor’s center, and Yosemite is no exception. The Valley Visitor’s Center located in Yosemite Village offers exhibits of the history, geology, flora and fauna of the area. It also houses a tribute to John Muir (1838-1914), with a life-sized, bronze statue of the famous writer and activist. A fierce advocate of natural places, Muir’s magazine articles and other writings won him supporters (among them Theodore Roosevelt) and were vital to the formation and preservation of national parks, including Yosemite.

As writers, we may contemplate our ideal writing space or conditions. It was enlightening, then, to read at this exhibit Muir’s own words describing what he endured in a home he had built in 1871 in Yosemite. Some called his birdhouse-like structure tacked onto the front of a mill “the hang nest because it seems unsupported” and he observed:

“It’s hard to write here, as the mill jars so much by the stroke of the saw and the rain drips from the roof, and I have to set the log every few minutes…”

However, in writing about the beauty he found in Yosemite, Muir also mused “…what pen may write my blessings.”

The Valley Visitor’s Center also houses a bookstore with a selection of children’s book, among them the award-winning title THE CAMPING TRIP THAT CHANGED AMERICA: THEODORE ROOSEVELT, JOHN MUIR AND OUR NATIONAL PARKS by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Mordicai Gerenstein. The story relates how, for three nights and four days in 1903, Muir led then-President Roosevelt on an exploration and camping trip throughout Yosemite. The adventure affected Roosevelt deeply and led him to take actions that ensured the preservation of natural parks and sanctuaries.

Since our stay was so brief and the park so vast (1,169 square miles), my traveling companion and I decided to check out the organized tours and activities at the park. Our first was the Yosemite Valley Floor Tour (fee and ticket required). With daytime temperatures in the high 80s that week, we chose the 6 p.m. departure time, and clambered into the open-air tram that departed from the Yosemite Valley Lodge. Since traffic can be a problem during the peak tourist season, I highly recommend this engaging tour that winds through 26 miles of the park in about two hours, often utilizing official road lanes not available to tourists.

Here again the story theme surfaced when our guide, the charismatic Park Ranger K, invited us to “Read the landscape like a manuscript.” He encouraged us to notice how the trees, rock, cliffs and water revealed much about the park and its origins.

Later in the tour, Ranger K proved to be a musician and singer. At a scenic overlook, he pulled out a banjo and played, among other selections, Pete Seeger’s Long May the World Go. Ranger K encouraged us all to sing along, and joyfully we did.

Another ticketed event, the “Starry Night Skies Over Yosemite” 9 p.m. program, proved most enjoyable as well.   That night, our band of stargazers trekked through the darkening night to our destination – a field spread with tarps. There, our guide encouraged us to lie down and consider how people throughout the ages might gaze up just as we were, at what she described as “the greatest picture book ever.” With a laser-light type device (it resembled Dr. Who’s sonic screwdriver), our guide pointed out specific stars and planets and outlined constellations. For the next peaceful hour or so, we listened to both stories and facts about the points of light sprinkled throughout the blackness above us.

On our final day, after an afternoon spent hiking near El Capitan’s base, we took a shuttle to the Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwahnee Hotel) for another guided (but this time free) tour of this elegantly rustic hotel opened in 1927. It was not long into the tour before literary connections to this historic building emerged. On leading us inside the spacious and grand dining room, our guide observed that past guests had commented on its resemblance to the Great Hall of Hogwarts. And indeed, the long, rectangular room is enclosed with stonewalls and set with a large window at the room’s far end, similar to the dining hall of the Harry Potter films. White candles even float above the tables – though here they are electric candles firmly secured to rustic chandeliers. Rowling’s works weren’t the only books referenced. We were told that the hotel lobby inspired the set design of The

Shining, the Stanley Kubrick film based on Stephen King’s hotel horror novel. Our guide produced a still from the film that illuminated how many of the Majestic’s features mirrored those of the fictional Overlook Hotel lobby in the film, including the wood flooring, the large fireplace, the chandeliers, the beamed ceiling, the second floor railings and even the arrangement of the furniture (Note – a different hotel was used for shots of the Overlook Hotel’s exterior).

At the tour’s conclusion, our guide led us to the former writing room, now the mural room, tucked off the main lobby. Here we learned about another formidable figure in Yosemite’s history, Stephen T. Mather (1867-1930). According to our guide, Mather came to his position in a most interesting way. After spending time in Yosemite in 1914, he wrote the Secretary of the Interior, college friend Franklin Lane, to lament the conditions he found there. Lane told him that if he thought he could do better, he should come to Washington D.C. and tackle the job himself. He did. Mather’s efforts contributed to the creation by Congress of the National Park Service in 1916 and he became the National Parks Director in 1917.

We were told that, in fact, this hotel was Mather’s idea. He hoped a luxurious resort hotel would coax to the park moneyed and influential people who would not only enjoy their stay but become Yosemite’s longtime fans and supporters.   On one occasion, Mather made a rousing speech to a group of movers and shakers gathered at the hotel,

then led them to this writing room so they might take up a pen to extoll the wonders of the park to others.

There still remains in this room a pair of small writing desks from that era. It was thrilling to consider that perhaps a letter composed here changed minds and awakened hearts to the importance of protecting this precious park.

 

 

So You Want to Write About…

Yosemite National Park offers research opportunities/experiences that may be especially meaningful to writers exploring particular subjects or settings. Here are just a sampling (please note that programs may have changed or may be seasonal and some may require a fee):

Adams, Ansel – The Ansel Adams Gallery

Art (Painting, Drawing) – Yosemite Art Center; Check Yosemite Guide* for art classes and programs

Buffalo Soldiers – Yosemite Theatre – live program “Yosemite Through the Eyes of a Buffalo Soldier.” Check the Yosemite Guide* for scheduled times

Conservation/Climate Change – Yosemite Conservation Museum

Mather, Stephen – Yosemite Theater – live program “Stephen Mather’s Best Idea: Yosemite and the Creation of the National Park Service.” Also the Historic Majestic Hotel Tour. Check the Yosemite Guide* for scheduled times for both programs

Muir, John – Yosemite Theatre – live, one-man theater presentations of the John Muir series including “Conversations with a Tramp.” Check the Yosemite Guide* for scheduled times. Also view displays and statue at the Valley Visitor Center

Music of Yosemite – Big Trees Lodge – live programs on the vintage music of Yosemite. Check the Yosemite Guide* for scheduled times

Native Americans, Minouk, Paiute, Ahwahneechee – Indian Cultural Museum; Also check the Yosemite Guide* for special programs

Photography – The Ansel Adams Gallery; Also check the Yosemite Guide* for photography programs and lessons

Rock Climbing – Yosemite Theater – the live program “Return to Balance: A Climber’s Journey; Also “Ask a Climber” program held at El Capitan Bridge. Check the Yosemite Guide* for scheduled times for both programs

Search & Rescue – Yosemite Theater – live “Yosemite Search and Rescue” program. Check the Yosemite Guide* for scheduled times

Sequoias – Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias

Wildlife of Yosemite – Ranger or naturalist programs about bears and other wildlife. Check the Yosemite Guide* for scheduled times

Yosemite History – Pioneer Yosemite History Center; The Historic Majestic Hotel Tour – check Yosemite Guide* for scheduled times

* The Yosemite Guide is available in print at the park and online at https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/guide.htm

 

Here’s to Halifax – for Harbor Views, History and Literary Highlights

Posted March 5, 2018

By Catherine Stier

On a drive in the Canadian municipality of Halifax, I let out a yell. “Lupine! It’s lupine! Just like Miss Rumphius!”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” my non-writer companion calmly replied.

Along the roadside, stalks of the purple and pink wildflowers known as lupine bloomed, looking like a come-to-life illustration from Barbara Cooney’s award-winning picture book, Miss Rumphius. As fellow fans of kids’ lit may know, this story’s title character longs to make the world more beautiful – and does so by scattering lupine seeds about her unnamed seaside town. Although I had read the book many times (and sources say it is set in Maine), this was my first glimpse of these distinct flowers growing wild in a similarly pretty, seaside location.

This was one of many delights experienced on my visit to Halifax, the capital of a Canadian province I always longed to visit. Truth be told I fell in love, sight unseen, with the province in which Halifax is located years ago, simply for the lyrical, ear-pleasing quality of its name – Nova Scotia.

Halifax, situated on the Atlantic edge of Eastern Canada (and about 230 miles East of Bar Harbor, Maine as the crow flies) is known for fresh seafood and waterfront views. It boasts Canada’s oldest children’s bookshop and a magnificent library. To my mind, it also offers an extraordinary number of cozy, scenic or just plain welcoming places to pause with a pen or laptop to do what writers do.   Here’s a sampling of places and pastimes that will beguile writers who venture to this lively, harbor-side city.

Even the most dedicated wordsmiths have to eat. Stroll along the waterfront for a selection of restaurants serving lobster, oysters, crab cakes, handcrafted ales, gingerbread and blueberry desserts. Here one might glimpse all manner of vessels, including sailboats, tall-mast ships and the ferries that cross the water to the community of Dartmouth. Cruise ships, including Cunard’s majestic flagship, the Queen Mary 2, grace Halifax harbor (or harbour, as the Canadians spell it). The Casino Halifax, several shops, and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic round out some of the waterfront offerings. These charming sights, along with the salt-water scented air, may be just the thing to clear the head, opening up room for fresh, creative ideas to take shape.

If rocky coasts call to you, consider the one-hour drive from the city’s center to Peggy’s Cove, site of what may be Canada’s most photographed lighthouse according to the

Tourism Nova Scotia website, novascotia.com. The spectacular views come with warnings, however, to avoid the wet and slippery rocks close to the water’s edge. A boon for writers – there are plenty of benches to safely view the scene and spend some time writing en plein air, if that’s your pleasure.

Back in the busy urban area, climb uphill to the Halifax Public Gardens for outdoor contemplation and inspiration. Beyond the intricate, black iron entrance gate, find flowers and walking paths, statues and yes, more benches, within this quiet and lovely Victorian-style garden.

For fascinating, historic tales, continue uphill to the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, situated just beyond the landmark clock tower.   The current Citadel, built from 1828-1856, has protected this region and offers much to explore. An especially eye-opening exhibit of a replicated, WWI trench as used by the Canadian Army in France provides a realistic glimpse of this form of warfare, and how miserable conditions could be for the young Canadian soldiers engaged in it. Guides (some in uniform or costume) throughout the Citadel knowledgably share their insights on operations in the trenches, the challenges faced by WWI nurses, and the daily life of a sentry. The Citadel also offers an Army Museum, bagpipe performances, and, for re-fueling, a coffee shop.

If nothing makes you happier than writing in a pub (a practice that proved effective for at least one famous children’s author), you are in luck here. Halifax boasts “the most pubs per capita in Canada” according to novascotia.com. I quite liked “The Wooden Monkey” on Grafton Street, which offers vegan and other dishes, a cozy interior and a large, old-fashioned mural of two men drinking from tankards at a pub table, perhaps ruminating about the book one holds prominently. Cheers!

And on the subject of books, the new, five-story Halifax Central Library stuns even before you step in the door with its imposing size and innovative architecture – it is said to look like a stack of books. Upon entering, you can’t miss the eye-catching art installation Library Cards by Cliff Eyland, with 5000 wall mounted works of art, each the size of the traditional library card catalog card. Inviting cafes can be found on both the ground floor and the fifth floor, but opt for the latter with its outdoor dining area overlooking the city. I spent a happy hour within the library’s second floor children’s section, seeking books marked with a maple leaf on the spine. This symbol denoted Canadian-produced books and presented stories I had not found in libraries in the U.S. I curled up in a seat before a large glass window and dipped into these enchanting tales.

Wonder what famous authors also strolled the streets of this city?   Download the Halifax Library’s free guide and map titled The Halifax Literary Walking Tour at http://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/research/topics/local-history-genealogy/literary-walking-tour.html

Highlights include sites where Oscar Wilde spoke, Charles Dickens visited and Lucy Maud Montgomery (author of the Anne of Green Gables books) worked as a newspaper columnist.

Finally, how could any children’s writer pass up a visit to what claims to be the oldest children’s bookstore in Canada – the wonderfully whimsically named Woozles. Inside the bright yellow converted house, I strolled the toy and book collections and found a most satisfying souvenir among the “local” section. Bright illustrations of familiar Nova Scotia sites, depicted during the day and then at night, fill the pages of the picture book A Nova Scotia Lullaby by Terrilee Bulgar and illustrated by Perry Craig.

As I left Woozles happily carrying my purchase, I glanced for the first time at the shop’s front window. To my surprise, prominently showcased in the display was the picture book Miss Rumphius.   The cover illustration depicted the title character among the lupine by a green and rocky coast, smiling with apparent contentment. I could totally relate.

 

 

HALIFAX FOR WRITERS’ RESEARCH

So You Want to Write About…

Halifax, Nova Scotia offers research opportunities/experiences that may be especially meaningful to writers exploring particular subjects or settings. Here are just a sampling:

Canadian Artists – Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; William deGarthe Art Gallery at Peggy’s Cove

Canadian Flora and Fauna – The Museum of Natural History, Halifax

Canadian History – The Halifax Citadel National Historic Site; The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic; The Museum of Natural History, Halifax

Immigration to Canada – Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21

Life of a Sentry – The Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

Lighthouses – View the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove (the interior is not open to the public)

Maritime Art – Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; William deGarthe Art Gallery at Peggy’s Cove

Maritime Subjects – The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Mi’kmaq Culture – The Museum of Natural History, Halifax

Public Gardens – The Halifax Public Gardens

Ships – The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Whales – Several whale watching tours depart from Halifax Harbor

World War I – The Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

World War II – The Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

Travel Like a Writer: A Writer’s Eye View of Inspiring Travel Destinations

Posted January 18, 2018

As writers and authors, we may view the travel experience differently than many tourists.  For us, finding a cozy pub in which to compose a poem is a true treasure.  Discovering an aged home preserved to reflect the era during which our historical work-in-progress is set can bring on goose bumps.  We may also be drawn to indie bookstores or innovative libraries with an enthusiasm that leaves our fellow travelers scratching their heads. 

Ditto for the birthplaces, burial places, hangouts, haunts and everything else connected to our literary heroes both fictional (e.g., Anne of Green Gables) and real (e.g., Laura Ingalls Wilder).

This particular (even unusual?) perspective on travel is the focus of this new blog series.  This series will offer an overview of sites and spots in a particular destination – a region, island, city, National Park, etc. – that may hold a special significance to fellow authors and writers (especially those who, like me, write primarily for children). Occasionally, the blog will also offer other subject matter that highlights the intersection of the experiences of travel and writing kids’ books. 

I truly hope this blog offers writers valuable insights on where to go and what to do once they get there.  

I also hope to offer fellow writers a platform for sharing their own literary travel and writing adventures*.

In addition to the blog, please follow Travel Like a Writer on Twitter @travellikeawrtr for quick updates, short news items and links to other articles, blog posts or photos showcasing ways in which the worlds of travel, kids’ literature and writing intersect.

Thank you for stopping by and remember… adventures (in travel, reading and writing) await!

Catherine Stier

* If you are a traditionally published children’s author or magazine writer who has an inspiring, travel-related, children’s writing experience to share and would like to be interviewed for an article for this blog, please send me a note with a few details about your experience via my contact page.