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In celebration of International Women’s Day, I’m reading Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948, written by Dr. Madeleine Albright—one of the most accomplished and influential women of our time.

Prague Winter is a story with three layers. First, it’s a memoir of Albright’s sudden discovery, when she was 59, of her family’s Jewish heritage and her search for the details of the family’s history. Second, it is a story of WWII-era politics told from the perspective of her homeland in Czechoslovakia.

Third, and even more intriguing, this book is an exploration of the moral complexities faced by Albright’s parents and their generation. That literary structure—which puts the personal within an historical context and demonstrates how each influences the other—makes the book a fascinating read.

Here’s a link to the article on The Women’s Eye.

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Update: Thanks to Lakshman Ratnapala and to the spectacular Fairmont Hotel for arranging for this presentation, and to all who have complimented us on its quality, useful information, and the “inspiration factor”—we hope many more of you will travel to, and enjoy, Sri Lanka. Here’s Georgia Hesse’s review.

On March 16th Jim Shubin and I will present a program for Bay Area Travel Writers about our recent visit to Sri Lanka. We’ll also discuss methods for creating cross-platform content (print books, e-books, PDFs, iPads, mobile apps), and show you samples of books printed by Lulu, Blurb, CreateSpace, MyPublisher, and others. The public may attend with an invitation from a BATW member.

The BATW meeting in March offers a remarkable opportunity for members to enhance their professional skills in creative publishing while taking a sneak peek at the latest adventures of our award-winning members Laurie McAndish King and Jim Shubin in “The Other Eden,” the island Mark Twain called “a dream of Fairyland and Paradise” and Lonely Planet chose as its top destination for 2013.

In The Other Eden, you will find yourself climbing the towering Lion Rock to check out the bare breasted damsels of the “palace in the sky”, cautiously approaching wild elephants, beating a hasty retreat from a sloth bear, learning how to milk a coconut (!), or serenely contemplating the Buddha at the Sacred Bodhi Tree of Enlightenment.

Then comes a reality check. Jim and Laurie will explain how they create a cross-platform (print, eBook, pdf, iPad) print-and-photo journal that can be sold to other travelers or to CVBs and destination marketers.

Mark your calendars for an unforgettable morning of fun while upgrading your resume.

 

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Writing Goals for the New Year

December 30, 2012
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A few years ago I attended the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, bonded with my tribe, and improved my writing. As I consider the coming year (Welcome, 2013!), I am reminded of point #5 below—set goals, build in accountability, and prepare for wonderful surprises. Five Things I (Re)Learned at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival: I can [...]

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Anne Lamott and the Secret to Life

December 14, 2012
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Anne Lamott has been through a lot—alcohol and drug abuse, financial problems, serious family illnesses, and the challenges of single parenthood—and come out on the other side, sober and spiritually alive. Speaking at St. Andrew church in Marin City, she shared what she’s learned, including the secret to life.

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Five things I learned in my first video interview

December 10, 2012
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I was interviewed by Lanka Monthly Digest—Sri Lanka’s premiere business publication—as part of their series on tourism in Sri Lanka. It was my first video interview; here are five things I learned.

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Barbara Kingsolver on the Power of Literature

November 27, 2012
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In Flight Behavior Kingsolver does, once again, what she does best. She looks at an issue from multiple points of view, empathizing with characters who disagree with each other, turning a question over and over…

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Join me at LitCrawl 2012!

October 4, 2012
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I’ll be reading from Silk from Ashes, a story about the women in Dubrovnik who, after enduring bombing, siege and starvation, were able to transmute the ashes of war into a source of dignity and independence — with a little help from 11,640 insect eggs hidden in one courageous woman’s cleavage. Joining me for this [...]

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Presentation on Collaboration

September 27, 2012
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At “Creative Collaboration” Suzie and I will discuss what we’ve learned as collaborators, including the benefits of collaboration, tips for success, online resources, legal considerations and partnership agreements, how to choose a collaborator, and much more.

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When a body reading in Indonesia just isn’t enough

June 29, 2012

There had been many times in my travels when stepping outside my comfort zone had made me feel younger, but this was the first time that I looked it, too. Here’s a link to the San Francisco Chronicle article in which I inadvertently entertain the neighborhood in Bali while undergoing a healer’s scrutiny. Read more … [...]

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Author Reading Saturday, June 9th

June 5, 2012
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I dared to taste-test luwak coffee on a recent trip to Bali, and lived to write about it. Come to the book launch party on June 9th and hear about the adventure!

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