Janet Thomas – Travel Writing
In both travel, and travel writing, the outer journey needs the depth of the inner journey, and the inner journey needs the boldness, the craziness, and the comic relief of the outer journey. Travel writing reminds us who we are, where we’ve been, where we’re going–and why it matters. From the convenient travel tip to the inconvenience of facing ourselves at-large in the world, travel writing is a trip in itself. It offers the writer and the reader both information and inspiration. It brings the world home.
Language Note for Writing Workshops: In these writing workshops, I strongly recommend that participants consider writing in their first language. If we experienced our early lives in a language other than English, it is often that first language that leads the way into our deepest truths and memories. When writing is shared within the group (always voluntarily), it can be shared in the first language and then loosely translated into English. This gives writers access to the freedom and the rhythms of writing that come naturally through the body as well as through the reflections of the mind. Writing can always be translated into English, and grammar can easily be fixed, but to be fully recognized, the memories of heart, mind, and body often need expression through their first language of experience.
Janet Thomas has been teaching yearly workshops at Deer Park since 2009. Her books include, The Battle in Seattle—The Story Behind and Beyond the WTO Demonstrations, and Day Breaks Over Dharamsala—A Memoir of Life Lost and Found. She has written plays and poetry and was the editor of a travel magazine for five years. She lives and writes on an island off the coast of Washington State in the U.S.