Wild Writing is now on Facebook

Sometimes I impress myself with how much I've been able to achieve through social media and the internet without anyone giving me lessons - I've opened personal Twitter and Facebook accounts, been blogging on this site for a number of years and even managed to update and refresh my new look Wild Writing & Photography website without any instruction (hash tags and HTML coding can be very confusing for us Gen-Xers). Other times, like now, I wonder why it has taken me so long to create something as simple as a Facebook Fan Page. In any case, whether you are a fan of Wild About Travel+Writing or not, you can now follow my wild wanderings on my Wild Writing & Photography Facebook Fan Page.... Now I just need to figure out how to connect my tweets with my fan page....

Happy travels!

It's a Wild, Wild World

I'm always being asked to supply a photograph of myself for work, especially one taken "on the road" that shows that I am a travel writer. As odd as it may seem, I don't have many pictures of myself. But as a photographer I'm usually behind the lens capturing what it is that I am seeing. On the rare occasions someone has managed to take my picture they're usually not very flattering (though, this probably has more to do with the model than the person taking the picture) or the picture has cropped so close that you can't tell what I am doing let alone where I am. Short of hiring a professional photographer to accompany me on my next work trip, I decided to organise a photo shoot over the weekend. Since the photographs in essence would be "staged", I thought it would be amusing to poke fun at myself and my work. Hence, I decided to dress up as an early twentieth century traveller – complete with modern hiking boots of course!

Northern Rivers Travel Photography Comp

Calling all aspiring photographers: The Northern Rivers Travel Photography Competition is on again!

Following on from the success of last year's first-ever Northern Rivers Travel Photography Competition, I've been asked by the Bangalow Chamber of Commerce to stage the contest again and (fingers crossed) turn it into an annual event. The contest this year will be held as part of the centenary celebrations of the A&I Hall in Bangalow with all money raised will go to local charity: Bangalow Land and River Care; the Bangalow branch of Landcare Australia.

This year's theme is City Sights & Nature's Delights focusing on travels in either urban or natural environments anywhere in the world – even here on the Northern Rivers - and is open to all residents of the Northern Rivers.

Categories: There are three categories: Primary (up to 11 years), Secondary (12-17 years), and Open (18 years and over).

Cost: Individual entries cost $5 for Primary & Secondary & $10 for Open. You may only enter a maximum of two entries, but each entry incurs the fee and must be made separately.

Format: Photographs must be submitted in print form. Each photograph should be mounted on black mount board and must not exceed 30cm x 40cm in size (including mount board).

Prizes up for grabs include $350 worth of cash prizes offered by the Bangalow Chamber of Commerce, Lonely Planet travel guidebooks, and subscriptions to some of Australia's best travel magazines, including Vacations & Travel and Get Lost!. More prizes to be announced.

The closing date for entries is 29 June, 2011. The contest will then culminate in a fundraising exhibition at the A&I Hall in Bangalow on Thursday 30 June where the winners will be announced. With photographers' permission, the winning entries will be featured in the spring edition of Ocean Road Magazine.

Entries clearly marked with your Name, Age, Address and Telephone Number, can be dropped off in person at Barebones Gallery in Bangalow between 10am & 4pm from 15 June – 29 June.

You don't have to be a pro nor do you need to have travelled the world to enter this contest. You just have to have a keen eye and a great travelling spirit. So get snapping!

For more information, you can contact me on 0400 887 991 or send me an emal at: kim[at]wildwriting[dot]com[dot]au.

Introduction to Travel Writing - 2 Day Workshop

It's a New Year and with the New Year comes a new range of workshops and retreats. For my first workshop this year, I'll be running an introductory course in Travel Writing for the Northern Rivers Writers' Centre. So if you've ever dreamed becoming a travel writer this is the year for you.

Introduction to Travel Writing - 2 Day Workshop

Ever dream of being a travel writer, but don't know where to start? Travel writing is more than just keeping a diary of where you went, what you did and who you met. It's about engaging the reader and making the travel experience as real and exciting as possible. It's also about selling your work to publishers. This two-day workshop will introduce participants to the requirements of this style of writing, from choosing destinations, to writing the article, to selling your work. Travel photography will also be discussed. A very practical workshop, participants will have the intervening week to work on exercises set by Kim.

When: 9am-1pm, Saturday 21 and Saturday 28 May
Where: SCU room, Byron Community Centre
Cost: $95 NRWC members, $120 non-members
Suitable for: This workshop is designed for beginning and emerging writers with an interest in travel writing.

To find out more or make a booking, contact the Northern Rivers Writers Centre.

Ethiopia guidebook update take two

After much deliberation, I've decided to move my research dates for the 6th edition of the Bradt Travel Guide to Ethiopia back by a few months. I'll now be criss-crossing my way around this mammoth country throughout the months of September, October and November 2011. I'm still looking for a travel buddy, so give me a shout if you want to join me on what is set to be my most epic wild wandering to date.

Tripbase 100 Favourite Travel Writers

I think I need to pinch myself. The very clever team behind the highly acclaimed travel website, Tripbase, have included me on their 100 Favourite Travel Writers list. I come in at No.78, so am a long way off No.1, but I'm very chuffed to be on a list that includes such great travel writing heavy hitters as Abbie Kozolchyk (No.1), Amanda Castleman (No.31), David Atkinson (No.61) and Rolf Potts (No.75).

What I love most about their tribute is the blurb they wrote about me:

Kim is a lover of adventure and this shines through whenever she puts pen to paper in order to narrate her spectacular travels. She is an advocate of solo travel and is equally as engaging when writing about canoeing the Zambezi River as when she is on a road trip through the States, though we get the feeling she is most in her element when exploring the most remote corners of the globe.

For someone who spends numerous hours locked in a study tapping away on a laptop, it's heartening to know that there are people out there who not only appreciate my work, but really get me. Thank you Tripbase!

You can see the full list of their favourite travel writers here.

Adventures with a guidebook author

Ever wonder what it's like to be a guidebook author? Want to know how to get your start in travel writing? During a brief break in between having just completed the update of Bradt Travel Guides’ Ghana and organizing my next trip to Ethiopia, I briefly sat down with Sherri from AdventureTravelGuidebooks.com to answer the tough questions about my most recent guidebook update on Ghana and what it’s like to be a travel writer. You can see the full interview, Adventures with Kim Wildman, here.