John Montgomery and I just spent one month exploring the nooks and crannies of Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon in order to learn more about this important region and its peoples. More is coming up when we do some presentations/slide shows about our experiences for BATW on August 21 and the Foreign Travel Club on August 26 (a colleague from Jordan who has her own educational tourism business there will be flying in from Amman to join us in our presentations). However, in summary: this region, the crossroads of our history both ancient and current, is welcoming, safe, fascinating, and well set up for tourism and travelers.

Diane LeBow dances in a cafe in Baalbek, Lebanon (photo © John Montgomery)

Successful panel and upcoming meetings:

Thanks to Erin van Rheenen for coordinating the June program on “The Ethics & Etiquette of Travel Writing.”  BATW members Edward Hasbrouck, David Page, and Tom Wilmer and Associate Member Catherine Boire were the panelists for an informative and thought-provoking presentation.  See Suzie Rodriguez and April Orcutt’s full report on this excellent event in the “Tips & Resources” section of this ezine.  Also in “Tips & Resources“: practical information regarding “Copyright Infringement” from Laure Latham, Edward Hasbrouck, Suzie Rodriguez and Dick Jordan.

We appreciate new BATW member Eliza Southard taking over the role as Greeter at this event. I was pleased to meet new member photographer Bill Scull at the meeting.

Our endlessly amazing Program Chair Sandy Sims continues to pull superb programs out of her hat with a terrific line up for us for the remainder of this year. In July, we meet at the newly revamped Aquarium at Pier 39 and learn the just-off-the-press updates about San Francisco events and developments. Thanks to Carole Terwilliger Meyers for coordinating this event. In August,  John Montgomery and I will tell tales, share adventures, information, and photography from our travels in the Middle East: Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. The September program will be about putting the pizazz into your travel writing, with Judy Wylie (coordinator), Georgia Hesse, and Bill Fink. And, of course, there’s the December 11 holiday party on the Jeremiah O’Brien that Monica Conrady is coordinating.

Sandy points out that our members’ work is increasingly incorporating 21st century publishing techniques. For example, Lee Foster, as always, leads the way, with his iPhone applications ,and Lee Nelson has his successful website inetours.com. Many of our members are segueing their publications on to internet venues. BATW’s own website and excellent ezine edited by April Orcutt increasingly attracts a wide reading public and serves as a center for our own community.

Georgia Hesse, internationally recognized travel writer, founder of the San Francisco Examiner travel section and member of the BATW Editorial Board, recently gave BATW some high praise: “BATW offers so much to its members with its top quality monthly programs. I have gained information at our events that I can’t find anywhere else.” Coming from Georgia, who is a member of and speaker at key travel-writer organizations and events around the country, these words are a great honor to all of us in BATW. Thanks, Georgia, for your continuing support, ideas, and participation in our lively organization.

A sampling of our members’activities:

Susan Alcorn writes from Puente la Reina, Spain, on the 12th day of their recent hike near the Camino de Santiago route: “Coming out of France and over the Pyrenees was beautiful as has been the gradual descent through the foothills…The wildflowers have been incredible–especially the brilliant red poppies… We have been having a great time…We have now finished our Arles route–Somport Pass–Aragon route, 138 miles, some of it through rather deep mud, but we will probably walk on another four days, then get ourselves over to Bilbao for a day of two and fly out of there.”

Tom Wilmer is ecstatic that his new Livermore wine country book is at the printers and is already receiving top critical acclaim. BATW members Sandy Sims contributed to the content and John Montgomery the cover and other photos.

Morton Beebe, with a National Science Foundation Artists Grant, is planning another trip to Antarctica in November, leading an expedition to carry the Explorer Club Flag to the South Pole. Mort asks if we’d like to send a BATW flag south with him.

Laurie McAndish King and I were invited to teach travel writing seminars at the 26th Annual Central Coast Writers’ Conference on September 17-18, 2010.

I had fun at my Left Bank reading in Paris on June 1 from my award winning story about my experiences in Afghanistan.

We wish Marc Longwood a speedy recovery from his recent ankle injury and hospital stay.

Katherine Bruce recently returned from a year living and teaching in Japan.

News from the BATW Board of Directors:

The Board, along with website/ezine people and other active leaders, is planning its annual one day retreat in July. Among our topics will be fine-tuning a full schedule of on-going month-by-month tasks that must be done throughout the year, with listings of responsible parties. This will be useful for future and on-going leadership and coordinators. Our Policies and Procedures Handbook, created a few years ago by Suzie Rodriguez, and Members’ Handbook, created by Janet Wilson, both need updating. We welcome volunteers for these projects. These documents are available in the Members’ Only section of our website.

Our Annual Financial Report is distributed to all members at our Annual Meeting in January. Regular updates are presented throughout the year to the Board of Directors and available by request to Treasurer Susan Alcorn, as is the final financial report from the BATW Awards contest. Susan is seeking a person or persons to work with her in order to prepare for taking over as Treasurer in 2011 and to assist with our upcoming annual renewals procedures. Please contact her to volunteer.

Questions at any time regarding any aspect of BATW should be addressed directly to the Officer or Chairperson responsible, including Membership Tom Wilmer, Programs Sandy Sims, Treasurer Susan Alcorn, Website/Ezine/Newsletter April Orcutt, Webmaster Lee Nelson, Secretary Robert Kaufman or general questions to me, President Diane LeBow.

This organization maintains full transparency in all activities and urges your active participation and volunteerism.

Our ongoing success depends on working together as a community and all sharing responsibility for this terrific organization.

– Diane LeBow
BATW President

Saturday, August 21, 2010, 10:00 a.m.

Jupiter Temple at Baalbek, Lebanon (photos © John Montgomery)

Having traveled from the mysterious souks of Damascus and ancient “Dead Cities” of Northern Syria to the hidden cliff city of Jordan’s Petra to the chic nightlife and galleries of Beirut (often called “The Paris of the Middle East”) Diane LeBow and John Montgomery will share tales and images from their recent month-long pilgrimage among these crossroads of some of our earliest civilizations. Diane and John debunk prevalent myths about this region and tell about exploring backroads and byways and enjoying the hospitality, safety and comfort of travel in this region, which is known as The Levant. Diane is the President of the Bay Area Travel Writers, and John is an Advisory Board member of the American Society of Media Photographers. Venue information to come in your email.

Members, for more information:
Click on “Register here for the next BATW meeting” on the right side of the home page
OR
Click here to sign-in and get more information (and register)
OR
Contact: Sandy Sims
Phone: (408) 269-8440
Email: sansims@aol.com

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Panelists: Judy Wylie, Georgia Hesse and Bill Fink.

We’ll be meeting at the Women’s Building in the Mission District of San Francisco.  More information to come.

For more information:
Contact: Sandy Sims
Phone: (408) 269-8440
Email: sansims@aol.com

1. Log-in to the website.
2. Under the words “Members Only Area” there is a black bar.  Click on the word “Services,” and you will see a drop-down menu.
3. In the drop-down menu click on “Press Trips.”

Many thanks go to Ginny Prior for pulling all this information together.

PLEASE list “Website” or “Ezine” AND your name AND a slug of what your submission is (such as “new book” or “contest winner” or “article about . . . “) in the subject line of your email.  Thank you.  Please send submissions to: webeditor.batw@gmail.com.

See complete submission guidelines at:
http://www.batw.org/help/submission-guidelines/

Thank you.

April Orcutt
Website Editor
Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW)
www.batw.org
webeditor@batw.org
webeditor.batw@gmail.com

Elisa Southard.

Elisa, we look forward to meeting you at various BATW events.

PLEASE list “Website” or “Ezine” AND your name AND a slug of what your submission is (such as “new book” or “contest winner” or “article about . . . “) in the subject line of your email.  Thank you.  Please send submissions to: webeditor.batw@gmail.com.

See complete submission guidelines at:
http://www.batw.org/help/submission-guidelines/

Thank you.

April Orcutt
Website Editor
Bay Area Travel Writers (BATW)
www.batw.org
webeditor@batw.org
webeditor.batw@gmail.com

See you all in June.

Update:

Jetlagged in Jordan but typing to Arab wedding music:

This will be a speedy note just to say we are happily ensconced at the start of our month long Middle Eastern adventure. Twice postponed departure flights from SFO, finally we left SFO a couple of days ago, arriving in Amman at 2 am (19 hour transit).

Tonight we were the guests of honor at a hosted dinner with numerous Jordanians and ex-pats of various backgrounds who live near St. Georges Zomot Winery, prize winners in the international marketplace for their Shiraz and others. Fifteen years ago the owner decided that Jordan needed quality wine production and imported stock and so on.

Then after dinner we were swept into the midst of a dancing procession of a new bride and groom and gorgeously dressed friends and celebrants.

Interesting to see the various strata of a society from the outside: these were the beautiful elite of Jordan, in many ways their dress and behavior, as one friend who lives here said, reminiscent of the 1950’s in the US: strapless gowns, sports cars, and so on.

At lunch at the next table women in scarves and coverings while their children jumped around in Mickey Mouse tee shirts and tennis shoes.

Gorgeous Lebanese and Jordanian banquet. Too tired to describe right now.

Tomorrow we depart in late a.m. for Syria where we will be touring, researching, interviewing, photographing, meeting lots of new people for 10 days. Then on to Lebanon for similar 10 days, then back to Jordan, and ditto.

All our contacts in each of these countries are so enthusiastic about their country that they insist that we stay longer as each claims their land is “more interesting than the others.”

Certainly I’ve experienced the Middle East enough in the past to know of the people’s warmth, hospitality, generosity, and love of life, friendship, family, and an all round good time, so I’m not surprised to find all this in our first not quite 24 hours here. John was not sure what to expect but has been of course having a great time meeting new friends and clicking away–terrific light and weather, temps in the 60’s-70’s, clear and sunny.

Must catch some rest before the a.m. 10 hour time difference here.

Very happy to be on the road again,

– Diane LeBow
BATW President

1. Log-in to the website.
2. Under the words “Members Only Area” there is a black bar.  Click on the word “Services,” and you will see a drop-down menu.
3. In the drop-down menu click on “Press Trips.”

Again, many thanks go to Ginny Prior for pulling all this information together.

June 19, 2010 at 10 a.m.

Noe Valley branch of San Francisco Public Library

The panel will discuss the ins and outs of travel writers getting comps, freebies, and press trips. Edward Hasbrouck will discuss the new FTC regulation that may require writers (especially bloggers) to divulge any comps they’re receiving for items reviewed or mentioned favorably. BATW associate member Catherine Boire will discuss the marketing side of offering comps. Writer and BATW members David Page and Tom Wilmer will talk about how comps and freebies play into their careers and what sort of implicit contract they feel they’re entering into when they accept any sort of subsidized experience.

Members, you will receive detailed information about this event in your email.

– Sandy Sims
BATW Program Chair