An Evening in Conversation with Lavinia Spalding - Lecture Series Event

Join us on Monday, July 13th to meet author Lavinia Spalding as she discusses her exciting new book Writing Away: A Creative Guide to Awakening the Journal-Writing Traveler! Two major trends have recently swept the travel world: the first, an overwhelming desire (thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestseller, Eat, Pray, Love) to write one’s own memoir; the second, an explosion of blogs and social media such as Facebook and Twitter, which help travelers document their experiences instantaneously. The act of chronicling one's journey has never been more popular, nor the urge stronger. Writing Away addresses both trends and will inspire budding memoirists and jetsetting scribes alike, but it goes much further, introducing the handwritten travel journal as a profound tool for reconnecting with oneself in an increasingly digital age. Spinning the romantic tradition of keeping a travelogue into a modern, witty adventure in awareness, Spalding also demonstrates how traveling—and keeping a journal along the way—is the world’s best writing exercise. Writing Away will teach you to embrace mishaps in order to enrich your experience, recognize in advance what you want to remember, tap into all your senses, overcome writer’s block, and tackle the discipline that is crucial to the creative process. Whether you’re a first-time wanderer, a seasoned vagabond, or an armchair adventurer, this book will inspire you to see the world—and yourself in it—differently. “A beautifully vital antidote to the frenetic buzz of blogging and texting, to be savored and shared.” Alexandra Fuller, author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight “Recommended for anyone who endeavors to travel mindfully.” Rolf Potts, author of Vagabonding and Marco Polo Didn’t Go There “Buy two copies—one to meditate on at home, and another to dogear, underline, and carry alongside your own journal en route." Anthony Weller, author of The Siege of Salt Cove Lavinia Spalding is author of With a Measure of Grace, the Story and Recipes of a Small Town Restaurant. A regular contributor to Yoga Journal, her work has appeared in such publications as Sunset Magazine, Post Road, CitySmart, and Inkwell. She grew up in New Hampshire and Arizona, and currently lives in San Francisco.