Articles from the 2007 Member Reading

The articles appearing on this page represent a sample from the BATW 2007 Member Reading, held in San Francisco on August 18th.

Click here to see the articles from the BATW 2006 Member Reading.

Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago

by Susan Alcorn

  • The ride from Pamplona to Roncesvalles was beautiful. The road became increasingly curvy as it wound its way through many hamlets on our climb into the Pyrenees. The houses were well cared for two storied, with their plaster exteriors freshly painted white. Their curved red tile roofs, crisply painted flower boxes, and pots filled with red geraniums were picture-book perfect. Read the article...

The GrassRoutes Story

by Serena Bartlett

  • Like cracking open a dusty geode, travel has revealed to me the many facets of the world. The crystals I found brought me the clarity to compare my known world with that of the previously unexplored. I was able to truly connect with the rich diversity that abounds. No other activity has had quite the same impact, offering a unique experience where both commonalities and differences in the quilt of humanity were vibrantly displayed. Read the article...

The Fire of Mount Etna

by Jacqueline Harmon Butler

  • As I stood pondering the wares of the Antico Souvenir, near the summit of Mount Etna, a hand suddenly appeared in front of me, offering a small piece of bread smeared with a greenish-colored concoction. I looked up into the smiling face of the proprietor of the shop. "Signora, piacere," he indicated for me to taste. Read the article...

Holy Saturday

by Natalie Galli

  • We parked on a Partanna street with the enticing name Via Circeo - that powerful witch - and walked the curving roadway past a bakery, a tobacconist, a grocery. Drifting through the green plastic strip curtains which shielded a doorway floated the distinct presence of cheese - maybe bel paese or taleggio - pungent, clean and salty. Read the article...

At a Crossroads

by Laurie King

  • I didn't know whether I was being kidnapped or rescued-that was what made my one big decision so difficult. That and the fact that I was young and foolish, and more than a little anxious about being stranded in the North African desert. Read the article...

The Lady and the Sikh

by Stephanie Levin

  • It was all arranged-Malaysia via Dubai, a few days sweltering in Kuala Lumpur before spiriting off to a Pangkor Laut island, a private pristine resort. Read the article...

Dancing on the Wine Dark Sea

by Diane LeBow

  • My darling Aphrodite, I love you. Will you marry me?” The handsome Greek restaurant owner on Santorini pleaded with my eighty-year-old mother as they line-danced to bouzouki music in a late-night bacchanal on a terrace overlooking the Aegean. My mother loved dancing, charming men, and living in general. After being widowed for the second time in her late seventies, she kicked up her heels and, in many ways, relished life to its fullest. During those years we traveled together frequently and had our own high-spirited odyssey around Greece.... Read the article...

Handsome Kenya Man

by Arvis Northrop

  • I have lots of stories to tell, and photos to share, from my trip to Africa. But while there or upon my return, I didn't tell this story right away. It was an intimate encounter suspended in a short duration of time. I had witnessed a spontaneous and intimate exchange between two strangers, and I had sat right in the middle of it. Read the article...

    • Too Many Animals

    by Christine Sarkis

    • I suspect everything I've ever heard about why French women don't get fat. Because if French life is anything like French dinner parties, that the country hasn't already buckled under the weight of 300-pound women is nothing short of a miracle. Read the article...

    More articles to come during the week....