My Turkey Day Travels

Every year for Thanksgiving, I head back to my hometown of Brandon, Miss. to celebrate Turkey Day with my wonderful friends and family. This year turned out to be particularly special, as my family had much to be thankful for.

A couple of month's ago, my father was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Anomalous Coronary Artery. Most babies born with such a defect don't live past the first year of life. However, the diagnosis allowed my father to correct the problem via a bypass, and now he is recovering slowly but stronly. God is Good!

The following are a couple family photos snapped at my Mimi's house during our Thanksgiving Feast last night :)


Brian (Dad), Chelsey & Julianne (Sisters, Me, and Aryne (Mom)



Dad & Mom

I need your opinion...

I'm considering choosing Hunter S. Thompson's "Hell's Angels" as my final read for my research study concerning the ethics of travel/adventure journalism.

So far, I've read: Lincoln Hall's "Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest"; Aron Ralston's "Between a Rock and a Hard Place"; Richard Halliburton's "The Royal Road to Romance"; Carl Hoffman's "The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World...Via its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes"; and Eric Weiner's "Geography of Bliss."

What do y'all think? Could Thompson's book be a good fit?

A Self-Proclaimed Grump's Search for Happy Places

In "The Geography of Bliss," Eric Weiner, a former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, decides to embark on a journey that will allow him to discover the happiest people and places on earth. He begins his travels in the Netherlands at the World Database of Happiness--yes, such a place does exist!--where he dives into piles of revelatory quantitative happiness studies.

From the Netherlands he travels to Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, Great Britain, and finally back to America. A couple of these destinations turn out to be blatantly unhappy places, but he has reasons for including them in his study. Overall, this book provides the reader with an introspective look into Weiner's personality, as his writing undoubtedly includes a strong subjective element.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? What place do you believe to be the happiest on earth?

My Latest Read

I just finished reading "Travel Writing: The Self and the World" by Casey Blanton. This book was really interesting, and extremely beneficial to the project I'm working on for one of my journalism classes. I'm in the process of researching the ethical questions that travel journalists are faced with, and one prevalent theme (not necessarily ethical) I've found is that many writers insert themselves into their stories.
"Travel Writing" examines the role of the author in his or her book in a very in-depth manner. It also provides a historical context of the evolution of travel writing from Herodotus to Marco Polo to Christopher Columbus to 20th century writers. Extremely thought-provoking read for those interested in travel journalism.

Organic Oxford

The picture to the left was taken at Yokna Bottoms Farm, North Mississippi's first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). It is located eight miles south of Oxford, Miss.

Organic Oxford is a blog that Dani Ligato and I are working on for our new media class. It's in the beginning stages, but eventually it will be rich with content about organic and sustainable living options in and around the Oxford, Miss. area. The goal of this project is to raise awareness of organic living options and educate community members about its benefits. Stay tuned for updates about our exciting farm travels! Check out the blog here: Organic Oxford.

Literature review of travel journalism research

INTRO
The concept of travel writing has been around since man was able to record his journeys. As our ancestors ventured to faraway lands, it was only natural they record the details of their exotic expeditions. Even the writings of Daniel Defoe, "The Father of Journalism," were influenced by travel. But what exactly is travel journalism?
TRAVEL JOURNALISM DEFINED
Travel journalism is an extremely broad genre, and therefore many literary works may fall into this category. Travel journalism may serve to inform, educate, or entertain, and as more and more people are traveling, this profession is booming.
METHODS OF TRAVEL JOURNALISM
Although this profession is a difficult one to break into, it is possible to do so. Wendy Hoke has this advice for emerging travel writers: stay on top of trends; get your work published in smaller publications before you submit to larger magazines; remember that freelancing is a business and you do have deadlines; inquire about specific info from experts in the field; and establish strong relationships with editors.
ETHICS OF TRAVEL JOURNALISM
As with any type of journalism, the practice of travel writing has the potential to evoke many ethical questions and concerns. The North American Travel Journalist Association encourages the upholding of these six ethical standards: truth, honesty, fairness, accuracy, integrity, and professional conduct.
RISKS OF TRAVEL JOURNALISM
The profession of journalism is inherently risky in and of itself, and travel and adventure journalism pose even more risks. The News Security Group, which was set up in 2000, stresses that "safety is paramount, dangerous assignments are voluntary, and unwarranted risks in pursuit of a story is unacceptable.
CONCLUSION
Martin Hintz says, "Despite the bugs inherent in international travel writing, the rush, the adventure, and the thrill of chasing the story keep us all coming back. Sure, this line of work has its rewards. Making friends around the world is probably the most important, because the writer is out there interviewing really interesting people. In addition, travel writing is truly creatively multi-faceted, a genre that includes writing about the arts, business, environmental issues, and politics.

Full Moon Kirtan

One of the greatest things about being a travel writer is that sometimes you venture no farther than your front door to find a truly interesting story. Last night, this was the case for me as I attended a Full Moon Kirtan yoga session near my house.

For the past few months I have been practicing yoga at Southern Star Yoga, a studio only a couple minutes away from my Oxford home. Although I still consider myself a beginner, the classes I’ve taken so far have been extremely beneficial for my mind, soul, and body. Most of the classes offered at Southern Star fall under the category of Raja yoga, a form of yoga that uses meditation to bring the mind and emotions into balance.

Kirtan yoga, the yoga of love, is a bit different from Raja. It involves the chanting of Hindu Sanskrit to evoke emotion, joy, and insight into one’s spirituality. Every now and then, the yogis at Southern Star offer different classes, workshops, or special events, and I received an email earlier last week detailing this two-hour Full Moon Kirtan session. No experience necessary, the email read—all one needed to bring was an open heart and mind, and vegetarian dish to share for a potluck. This was right up my alley.

I walked into the studio yesterday evening a few minutes before 6 p.m., with my fresh veggie lasagna in tow, having no idea what to expect. I was one of the first to arrive. The room was dimly lit, and yoga blankets and mats were arranged in a semi-circle around Stevi Self, a co-owner of the studio, and a man clad in white linen seated behind a large Sitar, a Hindustani classical stringed instrument.

Participants continued to arrive, and soon the chanting began.

The first chant was “Ganesha Sharanam,” and we recited the line “Ganesha Sharanam Sharanam Ganesha” over and over in musical harmony. Our handout offered up info about each chant and explained that, “Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles and is invoked at the beginning of any endeavor. He also bestows wisdom and knowledge.” This chant came first so that any obstacles among the group could be removed to allow for a successful Kirtan session.

Chanting continued with “Om Namo Shivaya.” This chant was “Salutation to Shiva,” the destroyer of the Hindu Trinity. It was important in destroying each of our egos. Next came “Baba Hanuman,” a chant of devotion, followed by “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudeva,” “Babanam Kevalum,” and we commenced our chanting with the recitation of “Gayatri Mantra.”

When the musical celebration came to an end, I felt extremely light and happy. During every chant, I imagined different people or aspects of my life that applied to the meaning behind the chant. This helped in keeping my mind present during the session—which can prove quite challenging for me sometimes.

Our Kirtan session worked up quite the appetite among our group, so we promptly hit up the vegetarian buffet of quiche, tofu pasta, pimento cheese sandwiches, cookies, black bean hummus, lasagna, and much more. It was delicious. I walked out of the studio with a happy belly, happy heart, and a new and exciting experience under my belt.

For their next Kirtan session, Stevi hopes to marry the event with a Full Moon drum circle that is hosted every month by the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group in Oxford. I am very much looking forward to it!