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Journalist

Journalism, Memoir, Non Fiction, Travel & Adventure

Jul 13: A Hard Place to Leave: Stories from a Restless Life with Marcia DeSanctis

July 13, 2022

Travel journalist of the year reveals the push-pull tension between home and away

What did travel writers do when their wanderings were halted during COVID lockdown? Marcia DeSanctis sorted through a decade’s body of work to compile her new book  A Hard Place to Leave: Stories from a restless life.

We discuss some of Marcia’s adventures and insights into being a travel writer. Why the desert is her sweet spot. How she balances her introverted self with writing open honest personal stories – including the search for her way back after falling in love with another man. And, how Marcia finds stories that resonate while traveling the globe.

About Marcia DeSanctis

Marcia DeSanctis is a Contributing Writer at Travel + Leisure, and writes essays and stories for Vogue, Town & Country, Departures, BBC Travel, and many other publications. She received the 2021 Grand Solas Award for Travel Story of the Year, and has received 5 Lowell Thomas Awards for excellence in travel journalism, including one for Travel Journalist of the Year. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of 100 Places in France every Woman Should Go … and the book we talk about today, A Hard Place to Leave Place to Leave: Stories from a restless life. 

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History, Journalism, Memoir, Non Fiction

May 05: The Explorer Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World

May 5, 2021

ICEBOUND by Andrea Pitzer

In the 1500s, William Barents became the first Dutch polar explorer to set sail in an attempt to discover a northern route to China. Andrea Pitzer became fascinated by his story. So much so, that she did what all curious journalists would do—she set sail to retrace his journey.

We discuss what Andrea learned about Barents’ three Arctic expeditions, and some of the little known history around his challenges and successes. Andrea also shares how her own expedition to the Russian Arctic was life changing; what surprised her the most. And the highlight of her experience sailing on a tall ship, where she spent time high up the mast.

About Andrea Pitzer

Icebound: Shipwrecked At The Edge Of The World is the latest book by critically acclaimed author and journalist  Andrea Pitzer. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Review of Books, The Daily Beast, Vox, and Slate. Andrea’s two previous books are One Long Night and The Secret History of Vladimir Nabokov.

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Biography, Journalism, Non Fiction

NOV 04: Sarah Smarsh with She Come by it Natural

November 4, 2020

Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs

“Country music…is how we talked to each other in a place where feelings aren’t discussed” writes Sarah Smarsh.

We discuss what Dolly Parton means to working class women living in poverty. Why Sarah describes Ms. Parton as the ultimate “woman of paradox.”  And why, despite her huge success as a sex symbol, creative genius, and philanthropic juggernaut, Dolly Parton does not consider herself a feminist. 

About Sarah Smarsh

Sarah Smarsh is a journalist who’s covered socioeconomic class, politics, and public policy for The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Harper’s. She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs is Smarsh’s second book. Her first, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, was a New York Times Bestseller, and a finalist for the National Book Award.

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Nature, Non Fiction, Wildlife

SEP 02: How Animals Help Improve Spiritual, Mental, Physical Well-Being with Richard Louv

September 2, 2020

Bringing you an interview today that was recorded with Richard Louv shortly before COVID 19, but is timely because study after study shows how spending more time in nature, and with animals, can help us manage stressful times.

Richard shares how connecting with animals can improve our spiritual, mental, and physical well-being. Why a coyote riding public transportation could become the new norm. How dogs can teach children ethical behavior. And … what Richard means when he  compares raccoons to Silicone Valley and Seattle technophiles.

Richard Louv is the author of ten books, and the co-founder and Chair Emeritus of The Children & Nature Network. In good company with icons like Sir David Attenborough and Rachel Carson, Richard Louv earned the prestigious Audubon Medal in 2008. Today we look at his new book Our Wild Calling: How Connecting with Animals Can Transform our Lives — and Save Theirs.

 

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