Friends, I am excited to share with you some details about The Hill of the Skull. The book features 50 full-color photographs a 7,000-word travel memoir an afterword written by Pico Iyer a 2,500-word conversation I had with British photographer Alys Tomlinson The campaign will launch on Kickstarter this autumn, on September 25, 2023. There will be a special discount available for the first 100 backers, so sign up to get notified about the launch now!...
Drifters, This month, I pull from my Bolivia notebook three quick sketches written in La Paz. My journal is littered with notes like these. They don’t amount to much, nor do they spin any coherent yarn. But, with the exception of the final note—I don’t even remember writing it—, they transport me back to Bolivia as I finish The Hill of the Skull. The book is nearly done, apart from a fine-toothed edit....
Friends, Summer is in full effect here in Central Florida, which means high humidity, heat, and chances for afternoon thunderstorms. Just this morning, in the shower, I didn’t even turn the hot water knob because the “cold” knob gave me water that was warm enough. After I dried myself off, I began sweating. For the uninitiated, this is not the time to be in Florida. And yet, it is the time to be in Florida....
Drifters, Before I went to Bolivia last August to work on a few creative projects, I stapled two sheets of paper to my Field Notes journal. On them I wrote two lists: a list of “rules” that I imposed on myself during the trip and a list of “aims” to remind me of my goals. Each morning and night, I consulted these lists as a way to stay focused on my work and evaluate how well I had been doing....
Friends, Italy was unusually wet, but it wasn’t bad enough to dampen my spirits in Rome, Florence, and Venice.1 Most of my time in Italy was spent working, though at night and on my free time, I found myself doing what I love: drifting alone through the crowds, with a camera, observing. I know writing about the traveler as flâneur is a bit tired these days, but I also can respect the fact that not all travelers enjoy or experience solitary walks in foreign places....