Postcards from Bangalow Writing & Gourmet Experience

Learn writing skills while eating well and enjoying new companions.

If you love writing, travelling and food, then you won't want to miss the Postcards from Bangalow Writing and Gourmet Experience. Held over the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June, this unique writing event will awaken your creativity and indulge your senses.

Hidden in the hills some 10 minutes drive from Byron Bay, Bangalow is a travel writer's and foodie's delight. Join seasoned travel writer Kim Wildman and learn what it takes to be a travel writer, while experiencing the smells, tastes, sounds and characters of this unique community.

Included in the weekend: three gourmet meals in atmospheric local restaurants, a half day Foodscape hinterland tour taking in three of the region's best producers and a guided historical walking tour of Bangalow as well as fun writing workshops and plenty of free time to allow your creative juices to flow. Each of the three included restaurant meals will be attended by a local writer, editor or identity who'll lead themed discussions on topics from how to capture the essence of a destination to how to pitch an article to an editor with questions and answers, readings and more.

If a weekend of writing, reflecting and enjoying the tastes and flavours of Bangalow isn't enticement enough, Sample Magazine, the epicurean bible of the Northern Rivers, has offered to publish the best travel article written over the weekend in the travel section of the spring edition of the magazine. So not only will you experience what it takes to be a travel writer, you might even get published!

This fun and informative weekend experience is suitable for beginning writers upwards with an interest in travel writing, food and good company.

Accommodation can be arranged in a variety of local venues in and around the village.

An early bird discount of 5% is available for bookings made by 30 April, 2011. Places are strictly limited, so contact Kim Wildman on 0400 887 991 or kim@wildwriting.com.au to make a booking now!

Date: 10-13 June
Times: 4pm Friday to 12pm Monday
Cost: $450 per person

Facilitator: Kim Wildman is a published travel writer and guidebook author with more than 10 years experience freelancing for a variety of media outlets around the world. She has authored more than 15 guidebooks, including Lonely Planet and Bradt travel guides, and written scores of travel features for the likes of The Melbourne Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Travel Africa, Voyageur and Ninemsn. When she's not continent-hopping, Kim runs travel writing workshops and mentors writers from her base in Bangalow. Recently voted one of Tripbase's 100 Favourite Travel Writers in the world, she also presents guest lectures on travel writing at universities and schools and speaks about her passion for the written road at international literary festivals and travel fairs. See her website for more details: www.wildwriting.com.au.


Testimonials from Kim's past travel writing workshops
"Excellent! The course was very useful and exceeded my expectations." Amy Dalguish, Travel Editor, Total Travel

"Kim Wildman lead a clear and inclusive travel writing workshop which not only focused on the skills of writing and storytelling but the business of travel writing and having your work published. A fun and valuable course by an experienced travel writer." Holly Galbraith, Go Future Media

Picture: Bangalow's main street, Copyright Michael King-Prime

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.