Travel writing when not traveling
and you think you have writer’s block?
In this Unearth Women newsletter: travel writing, overcoming writer’s block, and Scottish cows. Unearth Women is a free weekly newsletter. If you love it, consider supporting it by becoming a paid subscriber to unlock extra perks. A portion of your subscription is donated to a nonprofit each month. This month I’m supporting Heart of Dinner.
Last week I was reading Alison Roman’s weekly newsletter. Roman and her cookbooks have single handedly turned me into the type of person who now owns a food processor and has a fully stocked spice rack. Each week, she shares an original recipe that she whipped up in her sun-soaked Brooklyn apartment. Whether it’s an apple tart or a dill-filled potato soup — her recipes are always delicious and always easy. But last week, there was no recipe in her newsletter. Instead, Roman spoke candidly to a common creative problem: writer’s block.
For those unfamiliar, writer’s block (I believe the official medical term is Blockus Writerus) often goes something like this: You pour yourself a cup of coffee (or in my case, a glass of white wine and a bowl of white cheddar popcorn), sit down to your computer, and open up a blank word document. As you wait for the words to spill out of your ink-stained fingers, a minute passes before you realize you’ve wasted an entire hour looking up memes of Bernie Sanders instead (they really are great). The words are there…somewhere…but a mental block is keeping them from flowing. Admittedly, this very affliction hit me this week in the writing of this newsletter (which is why you are receiving it Friday evening instead of the usual 11 AM EST).
So, when Roman sent out an email that was the equivalent of throwing her hands up in the air and saying, “I got nothing!” I couldn’t fault her. We’re creatives, not machines, after all. Well….that was one side of my reaction. The other side of my reaction was more cynical. Want to talk about writer’s block? Try being a TRAVEL WRITER during a GLOBAL PANDEMIC, I thought to myself with a dry laugh. Having writer’s block when faced with the prospect of cooking at home is one thing. Having writer’s block when trying to wax poetic about travel during a pandemic, is quite another.
For months I have been trying to overcome my own colossal writer’s block when it comes to travel. Do I write about destinations at a time when no one can travel? Do I lean into the moment and share ways to virtually globetrot? Or, do I abandon ship and lean into my other passion: food journalism? Throughout the course of this pandemic, I’ve watched closely as publications have tried to tackle travel writing with the same determination as an Olympian. Some travel outlets have focused on awkward destination guides. (Here are the best destinations to visit in Europe….once you’re allowed to go….) Other travel publications have leaned into the ‘travel-from-home’ trend. You know, those articles that recommend a virtual trip through Paris that “will make you feel like you’re standing in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.” Except, let’s be real, no amount of wine will make me think I’m standing in the Latin Quarter listening to the bells of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, when I’m actually sitting on my couch in pajamas, listening to my cat cough up a hair ball.
Then there are the travel publications that have focused their efforts on travel-related news. These writers deserve a serious spa day because covering the whiplash changes brought on by the pandemic is like riding the now-defunct, head-thumping Shockwave ride at Six Flags Great America. In fact, the only forms of travel writing I’ve enjoyed these days are the stories that either spotlight people OR aim to transport a reader to another time and place. This is how I have managed to (finally) kick down my travel writer’s block.
A monthly newsletter to transport you (and heal my writer’s block)
Segue…introducing the monthly getaway newsletter. I am on a never-ending crusade to try and make being a paid Unearth Women newsletter subscriber super exciting. From unlocking a print subscription to Unearth Women magazine to sending packages with our feminist city guidebook to NYC to donating a portion of proceeds to a different nonprofit each month — I cannot emphasize enough how much I honor the privilege of being in your inbox every Friday. I also want to thank our paying subscribers for taking that extra step to support Unearth Women. And so, I am always thinking of ways to sweeten the paying subscriber deal and one of those ways is the new getaway newsletter.
Each month I will send paying subscribers a newsletter that aims to transport them to a far flung locale. This month, I took paying subscribers to Vietnam — specifically, Hanoi — to discover some of the best life-changing street food there (including the very restaurant President Obama ate at). When I was in Hanoi I noted every single bite and sip I took because 1. I love food and 2. I really love Vietnamese food. All of those notes from my trip are poured into the words of that newsletter. So, if you need a mental vacation or inspiration for a future trip, become a paid subscriber. Next month’s getaway will be Colombia. As a Colombian native and super fan, I have a LOT to say about my favorite place on earth.
Meet the 22-year-old poet who stole the show at this week’s presidential inauguration
Of the many memorable moments to come out of Wednesday’s inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris, the poetic stylings of Amanda Gorman is one of my highlights. During the inauguration, Gorman took to the podium to read a poem she had written called “The Hill We Climb,” which she was inspired to pen after the attack on the nation’s capital.
Being American is more than a pride we inherit; it’s the past we step into and how we repair it.
This one line keeps playing in my head. Never have I heard the American experience so beautifully distilled down to one single phrase. It’s a stark reminder of our tendencies as Americans to take our freedoms for granted and to easily forget how damaged our past (and present) is and how it falls on all of us to repair it. All this from a 22-year-old, Harvard graduate who grew up to a single mother. Gorman is now the youngest inaugural poet in our country’s history. In watching her recite this poem, I can only hope that one day she decides to run for office. She’d have my vote.
Have an incredible woman you want to nominate for our Women to Watch section? Email me.
Visit the Unearth Women online store (shameless plug) and check out the new products on offer. I’m currently obsessed with this embroidered Boss Babe t-shirt, which is a serious upgrade from my flannel pajamas. Fun fact: I have now worn my pajamas so often during this pandemic that there is a literal hole in the bottoms. I wish I were kidding. While you’re in the store, also pick up this “Future is Female” mask, which my eye doctor complimented and said he would buy for his daughter. Granted my eyes were anesthetized at the time, so I couldn’t see if he was being sincere but it sure sounded like it. Check out Lubalin’s latest internet drama and find solace in knowing that someone loves butter as much as you do. If you haven’t seen his other internet dramas, drop everything and immediately watch part 1 and part 2. Go on, this newsletter will be here when you get back. Watch Scotland’s “Coo Cam,” which is just non-stop footage of Scottish cows with some seriously fabulous hair. Spend the afternoon trying to decide who has the better hair: Scottish cows, Icelandic horses, or Fabio.
This month we are donating a percentage of our paid newsletter subscriptions to the nonprofit, Heart of Dinner. Previous nonprofits we’ve supported include: Women for Women International. Have a nonprofit you want us to support? Email us.