Current Project: Positano
From March 27th to April 2, I will be attending Sirenland, a writer's conference in Positano, Italy. From the conference, I will be compiling a book of drawings, photographs, and short written pieces.
This project will give me a chance to share a vision of the town John Steinbeck called "a dream place" while continuing to explore the genre of travel writing and its evolving role for Americans.
At the turn of the 20th century, British and American writers like Henry James traveled abroad to seek out the picturesque as an antedote to the Industrial Revolution. The term "culture" which prior had been exclusively a farming term, evolved a new meaning out of a desire to see the irregular, pastoral beauty of places like Italy. I'd argue that today, the search for the picturesque has shifted to a search for the authentic. I'll talk more about why as the project goes along.
So what does it mean to write compellingly, or authentically, about "a dream place" like Positano? Let's find out.