Book Group: Travel Literature
(in discussion with the authors)
Second Saturday of the month, 10:15AM to 12:00PM
Four classes:
Jan 13, Feb 10, Mar 9, Apr 13
Live via Zoom - $150
This book group, which will meet the second Saturday of each month over Zoom, will review modern classics from four titans of travel literature: Tim Cahill, Bill Bryson, Frances Mayes and Pico Iyer. We will explore best-sellers such as Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” and Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun” — and lesser known but equally rewarding books, including Tim Cahill's anthology “Pass the Butterworms” and Pico Iyer’s transcendent, “The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise.” Tim, Frances, and Pico will all be joining the discussion of their respective books for a portion of that session.
Led by Michael Shapiro, longtime travel writer and Book Passage teacher, the group will discuss what makes these books so compelling and will examine the techniques that each writer uses to engage the reader. We will pull back the curtain and share ideas about what makes great travel writing.
Books to be Read (all available for purchase at links in titles below):
Jan 13: A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
Feb 10: Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes
Mar 9: Pass the Butterworms, Tim Cahill
Apr 13: The Half Known Life, Pico Iyer
Michael Shapiro is the author of "The Creative Spark" (Solas House), winner of a 2021 Independent Publishers Book Award. Among the authors he interviewed for that book: Barbara Kingsolver, Pico Iyer and Amy Tan. He’s also the author of "A Sense of Place," a collection of conversations with travel writers such as Paul Theroux and Jan Morris. A longtime journalist, Shapiro writes for National Geographic, Sierra, AFAR, and the San Francisco Chronicle, where he has written travel features and reviewed books. He's taught several classes at Book Passage and has been a member of the Book Passage Travel Writers Conference faculty for more than 20 years.
