Category: Writing

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Rounding Up the Writing Life

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Finally getting a chance to write on Science Traveler for the first time since Monday’s update on the Scandinavia trip plans. That trip is for the end of May, but before that a lot is happening. Much of it is writing. And the rest of it is doing interesting things worth writing about.

Current warsCurrent writing projects are headlined by my forthcoming book on Thomas Edison. The publishers of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity asked that do a similar treatment of Tesla’s biggest rival. I’m working on the early chapters and finding that Edison, like Tesla, was an interesting personality, though in a few ways almost the opposite of each other. Surprisingly, Edison wasn’t as great a businessman as most people think. The irony is that while others often got credit for the contributions of Tesla, Edison often got credit for the contributions of others. Publication is scheduled for 2016 but I’ll post more on this here as the writing progresses.

My concurrent e-book writing project is called Lincoln and Tesla: Connected by Fate. There are a surprising number of connections between Nikola Tesla and our 16th President, and this book takes a look at all of them. Stay tuned for more info and expected publication on Amazon this summer. Here’s a preview.

Other writing includes a forthcoming piece called And the War Ends I wrote for the Smithsonian Civil War Studies website. This will be the third article for them and covers the end of the war and Lincoln’s assassination. This week has also seen a “microfiction” experiment called Executing One Final Joke on Hot White Snow and How the Media Enable Climate Denial and Misinform the Public on The Dake Page. Oh, and there is the Lincoln and Science book proposal.

I also have tons of events on my calendar that will keep me busy for a while (as if writing two books and a proposal for a third wasn’t enough to do).

  • March 21: Lincoln Institute full day symposium in Ford’s Theatre
  • March 22: Wine-tasting and bald eagle viewing on the eastern shore
  • April 9: Tesla Spirit Awards in Philadelphia
  • April 11: Lincoln Group book discussion
  • April 14-15: Ford’s Theatre events related to Lincoln assassination
  • April 21: Lincoln Group dinner meeting
  • April 24: CPRC-SETAC Annual Spring meeting
  • May 16: Lincoln Group Legacy of Lincoln full day symposium

And that’s just for starters.

Somewhere within this time frame I should be receiving my first advance payment for the Edison book and my spring royalties for the Tesla book. The Tesla Wizard book is back in Barnes and Noble stores and selling fast while the Tesla and Renewable Energy e-book is available on Amazon. On top of that, yesterday I shipped a second case of 24 books to the Tesla Science Foundation for them to give as gifts to teachers who have worked so hard to get Nikola Tesla incorporated into school curricula.

It’s a good life.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for over thirty years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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Ernest Hemingway was a Crazy Cat Lady – A Writer’s Life

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The key lime pie was a bit too sweet at the Six Toed Cat cafe on Whitehead Street, but the Cuban-inspired sandwich was perfect. We had stopped to get a very late lunch after driving to Key West from Key Largo in search of Ernest Hemingway. Little did we know the name of the cafe, next door to the Hemingway house, reflected the little known fact that Hemingway, considered one of America’s greatest writers, was a crazy cat lady.

Six toed catsNot literally, of course, but as the guide informed us during our tour, Hemingway let dozens of feral cats roam his grounds freely. Many of them had six toes, a condition called polydactyly for you scientist-types out there. I recalled from my marine biology days that sailors thought polydactyl cats were good luck, or at the very least were better at catching rats. In any case, Hemingway was given a six toed cat by a ship’s captain and well, cats breed. There are currently 40-50 cats on the Hemingway property, which the guides regularly trot out for photo-ops.

The two-story Spanish colonial house had been built in 1851 by wealthy marine architect and salvage wrecker Asa Tift, but a battle between heirs left the house boarded up and vacant for the 40 years before Hemingway and his second wife Pauline bought it in 1931. After Hemingway ran off with Martha (who eventually become his third wife), Pauline decided to spend $20,000 of his money replacing Hemingway’s prized boxing ring with a built-in pool. He was not amused.

Hemingway's writing studio

Not surprisingly, the most fascinating part of the house was his writer’s studio. Accessed by a catwalk over a gallery connecting his second-floor bedroom with an old carriage house, Hemingway had a large comfortable room where he consistently wrote from 6 am to Noon every day. I envied his discipline (not my strongest point) and his studio, though I have to admit I’m very happy to have computer keys to tickle and not his old (now rusty) manual typewriter.

Hemingway's typewriter

Hemingway wrote about 70 percent of his body of work in the nine years he lived in the “crazy cat lady” home on Key West. For those who don’t know, he moved to Cuba for many years, escaping when Fidel Castro’s revolution changed his world. He lived an exciting, some would say crazy, life, and when he wasn’t out deep sea fishing, crashing planes in Africa, or running with the bulls in Pamplona, he was winning a Nobel Prize for Literature. Tragically, for some reason he chose the slow-paced land of Idaho for his later years, where he tried to deal with alcohol abuse, a growing paranoia, and bouts of depression by getting electroconvulsive therapy at the Mayo Clinic. While a common treatment at the time, the therapy destroyed his memory and ability to write, leading Hemingway to deal with the ensuing boredom by excitingly ending his life with a double-barreled shotgun.

Notwithstanding his sad ending and the unlikelihood that I’ll ever live such an interesting life as he, Hemingway remains an icon of American writing. I envy his tight prose; his simple narratives accessible to all readers mirror what I would like to accomplish in my own writing. Where Hemingway brought his adventurous life to the masses, I seek to do the same with the science traveling life.

I’ll have more on the Florida trip, including stops in Miami Beach, the Everglades, Biscayne Bay, Key Largo, Key West, and the remote beauty and history of Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. Stay tuned.

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

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Happy Halloween, Remembering Vietnam, Chinese Warriors, Climate Denial, and Learning from Peasants

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It has been a very busy week, which culminates in a Friday night ghouling spectacular. Starting here on Science Traveler with the Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi’an, China.

Terra cotta warriors Xi'an

Haven’t experienced the terra cotta warriors yet? Now is your chance. Part I introduces you to Xi’an in central China and the thousands of clay warriors, officers, infantry, archers, and even horses that make up one of the most amazing funerary art in the world. Part II delves deeper into the reconstruction of these life-size pieces, along with some surprises about the vibrant colors originally displayed.

VietnamMemorialwall

Meanwhile, Hot White Snow brought out memories of Arthur Hardy, a hometown boy I never met but miss deeply. Hardy was shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War, an event that is still remembered to this day by everyone in our small town. I have a rubbing from the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial (aka, “The Wall”) here in DC. A second rubbing was given by my Mom to his Mom in a very emotional meeting.

5 stages of denial

The Dake Page continues its series exposing climate denialism. Recent  posts include an examination of why climate deniers diss the IPCC, one of many scientific bodies who compile and summarize climate science, and why deniers rely on abusive language to attack scientists and anyone else who acknowledges the science.

learn-from-peasants

The Cultural Revolution sounds like a good thing, right? Not so much, Ru says, as she continues her series on a blog she aptly named Ru… on which she writes about her family history in China. Her latest post looks at how Mao Zedong forced people from cities into the countryside to “learn from the peasants.” This began a decade in which education was considered “bourgeois” and hard labor was the path to the future. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work out as planned.

The Birds

Happy Halloween! By some unnatural glitch in the time-space continuum we’ve somehow made it to the end of October, seemingly skipping over many of the months that usually occur between spring and autumn. Enjoy the foliage while you can as the ghouls and goblins roam the streets in sugar-induced frenzies.

Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity Nikola Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity

 

 

 

 

This past week my 82- and 87-year-old parents flew down for a visit, which among other things included going up into the Washington Monument for the first time (more on that soon). Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has sold over 25,000 copies so far, with a third printing due out in February. Meanwhile, my e-book continues to sell on Amazon – look for some exciting news about Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time to be annnounced shortly.

Up next is a meeting with a famous author, a Lincoln Group symposium you don’t want to miss on the nation-saving “Election of 1864” (see Lincoln Group for more details), more travel, more Tesla, more excitement…

More Science Traveler coming soon!

David J. Kent is an avid traveler and is currently working on a book about his experiences traveling in Argentina. He is also the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and the e-book Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time.

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A Little Hot White Snow

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Science Traveler is my official author website and focuses primarily on my non-fiction writing – Nikola Tesla, Abraham Lincoln, Science Traveling. Not long ago I started a new blog for my more creative writing endeavors – memoir, writing prompt experimentation, and even a little preview erotica. It’s called Hot White Snow.

Bryce

The blog’s title comes from the first piece I wrote for the site, a response to a writing challenge on a now largely defunk writing website. The prompt asked us to write a story using a color as a theme, especially concentrating on any emotions connected to that color. The result was a somewhat dreamy scene involving a hot tub, frolicking snowshoe rabbits, and some steamy snowmelt.

The blog header photo above was chosen for the heat evoked by the redness arching through the cool white snow.

Other posts have included vignettes derived from my travels, some creative musings, and memoir-ish meanderings from life and loves. One of my most recent involved my Great Wall of Books.

Feel free to follow me on Hot White Snow, or check in periodically for updates cross-posted here on Science Traveler.

David J. Kent is an avid science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, now available. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Reflections on My Anniversary (or, Why I Became a Science Traveler)

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The Traveling ScientistOne year ago today I left behind the first half of my life.  After more than 30 years as a working scientist I had decided to give up a comfortable salary for a life of (essentially) no income. I would become a poor starving writer.

It was the best decision I ever made.

I loved my previous life. Well, most of it. But the parts I didn’t like had grown in proportion to the parts that excited me. Using my skills, my knowledge, and my personal connections with colleagues and clients, I made a large amount of money – for others. Sure, my salary was nice enough, but increasingly the benefits of my labor went to others, and those others seemed decreasingly appreciative of that fact. Abraham Lincoln’s line from his Second Inaugural Address about  “wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces” kept popping into mind. Not a perfect analogy, but close enough.

I learned a lot during all those years – about science, about business, about people. I also learned that science is often trumped by business concerns and people’s perceptions. I felt there was a growing need to communicate science to the public, and that scientists weren’t always very good at meeting that need. I decided to do something about that.

Coincident with this desire was some serendipity that led to publication of my first professional book, Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. As the old saw grinds, “the stars aligned, angels’ voices rang down from the heavens” and all that not-so-scientifically-accurate metaphorical interlude. In real terms, stuff fell into place and it became clear this was the time to take the risk. So I did.

So where am I this one year later? I’ve traveled a bit, though not as much as I would have liked. One highlight of 2014 is an amazing trip to Argentina, with several smaller and more local trips throughout the year. I’ll squeeze in a few more jaunts before New Year’s and am busy planning for 2015 (Peru? China? Rushmore?). Science Traveling will play an increasingly important role in my future.

I’m also writing. Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity was back in Barnes and Noble stores mid-summer and was selling faster than it did last year (in fact, sales in the first 6 weeks already nearly matched all last year). To this I added a second book, an e-book exclusive to Amazon called Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time. More books are in the works, including my opus on Abraham Lincoln’s interest in science. Add in some manuscript editing, magazine articles, newsletter writing, and even some grant requests (plus my blogs, which I’ll reveal more about later), and yes, I’ve been keeping incredibly busy. All in an effort to bring science to the public – to make science fun again.

Finally, as I wind down my final year of the presidential cycle for the regional SETAC Chapter, I begin my first year in a leadership role with the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia. As the director of outreach and education for LGDC I’m working with an engaged group of Lincoln scholars and aficionados to celebrate the life of Abraham Lincoln and ignite a new generation of interest. His “science geekiness” bridges my lifelong interest in Lincoln with my lifelong career in science. A perfect prelude to my forthcoming book. 🙂

I can confidently acknowledge that it’s a very happy anniversary indeed. The first of many.

David J. Kent has been a scientist for thirty-five years, is an avid science traveler, and an independent Abraham Lincoln historian. He is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (now in its 5th printing) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His book on Thomas Edison is due in Barnes and Noble stores in spring 2016.

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Some days are sunsets…other days are sunrises

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Some days are sunsets…

Sunset - A Time for Change

More details to come.

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David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) (both Fall River Press). He has also written two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate. His next book is on Abraham Lincoln, due out in 2017.

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My favorite bookstores

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Barnes and Noble DC 23July2013I was at the library recently and came across a book called My Bookstore. A 2012 compilation of essays by 84 well-known writers in which they “celebrate their favorite places to browse, read, and shop.”

As I read about The Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Massachusetts, the Strand in New York City, and even Politics and Prose in Washington DC, I couldn’t help but think about the bookstores that graced my local environs. And then I realized there weren’t any.

We’re not completely divorced from bookstores of course. There is a fantastic Barnes and Noble store just a short walk from my home. None of the bookstores mentioned in My Bookstore is a Barnes and Noble. In fact, Barnes and Noble and Borders were at least partially responsible (along with Amazon) for the demise of smaller, independent bookstores that once were more prevalent and that are the ones named in the book. But still, BN offers an in-store Starbucks and a wide selection of new books, something that you can’t get anywhere else.

My most frequented bookstore, however, is probably McKay in Manassas. McKay is a used book store, so you can’t pre-order the new novel by your favorite famous author before release. But it is what a bookstore should be; a place to browse and discover. As one might expect from a store located near one of the nation’s most well known Civil War battlefields, McKay has a huge Civil War section. Between it and the always well-stocked presidential biography shelves, I never fail to walk out with a stack of Abraham Lincoln books. And because McKay take trade-ins, the final cost is always a bargain. They even have a free book bin in front of the store where books they don’t buy, and people don’t recover, are offered to passers-by. No questions asked.

There are other bookstores I visit as well. Prospero’s in Manassas, Reston Used Book Shop at Lake Anne, C&W Used Books (though less so now that the Chantilly store is closed and Woodbridge is more distant). Once in a while I would make the trek out to Harper’s Ferry, WV, but was saddened to find out recently that the Harper’s Ferry Bookstore has now closed (the Harper’s Ferry Historical Association Bookshop, however, remains open). In DC there are Second Story Books and Kramerbooks. Kramerbooks is the only one in the list that carries new releases. They also have a nice cafe where it is not uncommon to sit next to some DC politico or news celebrity (I once saw George Stephanopolous at breakfast…he had eggs [not green] and coffee).

As a reader I have always appreciated bookstores. And feared them, as I rarely walk in without carrying more literary weight on my way out. As independent bookstores have disappeared I do buy more books through Amazon, and of course Barnes and Noble carries both Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World. But I still love the ambiance and the thrill of discovering, usually high up on one of the rustic wooden shelves, an old book I had been seeking for years. Or a rare one that I hadn’t even heard of before. Getting to know the owners of the smaller shops, chatting about books and bookselling, and having a sip of coffee (or whatever), well, that’s what makes a bookstore a bookstore.

What is your favorite bookstore?

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

 

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Happy Father’s Day, Dad

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Happy Father’s Day. To all fathers, everywhere. Thanks for putting up with your children, including me. While I didn’t know it then, I see it now. It couldn’t have been easy. 🙂

Father and son

I’m especially grateful for this opportunity to wish my Dad a happy father’s day. Earlier this year, after falling and breaking some ribs, the doctors discovered an aneurysm. A big one. An unbearably long period of testing and discussion finally led to a full open-chest surgery. The surgery went well, but the coming out of anesthesia was more exciting than anyone had anticipated. A very long seizure event, the result of several small strokes, left my Dad in a coma for the next four days. Finally awake, barely, we went through several more days of delirium and hallucinations but no movement on the right side.

Mom and Dad chasing alligators in Belize

Nothing like a relaxing day of alligator chasing by speedboat in Belize when you’re 80+ years old

I should stop here and let you know that Dad is now recovering. Slowly, for sure, but from where we began, his recovery is nothing short of astounding. By the way, Dad will celebrate his 86th birthday in just a few weeks. He has some rerouted plumbing, a few artificial stents holding the aortic arch together, and chest scars that would have inspired Mary Shelley’s artistic creation, but he is here to celebrate the celebration season with us.

Yes, I said celebration season. We’ve just passed my Mom’s birthday and Mother’s Day, we’ll blink past my own natal day of non-remembrance, today is Father’s Day, and then, not by coincidence, we’ll celebrate my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary on the four score and sixth anniversary of my father’s birth. Oh, and there is the 4th of July somewhere in there as well. Last year, on their respective 80th and 85th birthdays, the cake reminisced back to the youthful days of old, that is, before I had arrived to start the aging process:

Mom and Dad's birthday cake

So Happy Father’s Day, Dad. You are loved and appreciated far beyond my poor power to express those feelings. My book, which you’ll soon see, is in part dedicated to you and Mom. Thanks for being my lifelong inspiration.

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Book Review – Bolívar: American Liberator by Marie Arana

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Bolivar by Marie AranaI recently received a copy of a new book and was asked to read it and write a book review. This is that review.

Simón Bolívar liberated six South American countries from Spanish rule. An amazing achievement. Marie Arana has accomplished no less an amazing achievement in her mighty tome Bolívar: American Liberator (Simon & Schuster, 2013). Arana’s book is impressive, both in its girth (464 pages of text plus over 100 pages of notes) and the depth of research conducted into Bolívar’s life.

Born into a wealthy family in 1783 Caracas in the Venezuelan portion of the Spanish empire, Simón Bolívar hardly seemed destined to be a revolutionary. A slight 5’6” in height and only 130 lbs, he nevertheless was a “spirited youth.” He grew up in luxury in a country in which the Spanish crown had imposed strict divisions between the classes and races. A trip to Europe as he came of age exposed him to even greater privilege, but also inspired him to pledge that he would liberate his homeland. Arana captures this coming of age in a story that reads like a novel.

After two revolutions fail to take hold, Bolívar finally is able to lead the creation of a third republic that begins a constant battle that would consume him for the rest of his life. Arana deftly intertwines the events of the United States (War of 1812) and Europe (Napoleon, Spanish wars) with the major battles and exploits of Bolívar and other key players both within and without of his control. In what we now might call “mission creep,” the revolution to rid Venezuela from the Spanish spreads across greater Granada and beyond to encompass what now includes Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and the newly created Bolivia (named after Bolívar). The “George Washington of South America,” Bolívar liberated the people and yet in the final years of his short life had the people turn on him. He died in exile, in poverty, and bed-ridden with tuberculosis, in his prematurely-aged 47th year.

One of the strengths of the book is the way Arana is able to delve into the imperfections of Bolívar as a man – his many mistresses, his adeptness with military command yet inability to command the politics of effective government, and the many mistakes he made as he tried to create democracies in lands mired by corruption and 300 years of subservience. Arana superbly brings this complex man to life. Often vilified in that life, Bolívar’s legend has grown in the nearly two centuries since his death to the point where leaders from Venezuela and environs attempt to invoke the name of Bolívar to support their own policies, even though those policies may be the antithesis to everything for which Bolívar toiled.

I highly recommend Bolívar: American Liberator. Those with family ties to the region will benefit from the knowledge of both the accomplishments and imperfections of the man. Those in the United States and elsewhere will benefit from the opportunity to learn about one of the most important men in modern history, one most of us likely don’t know much about at all.

Marie Arana’s website: http://mariearana.net/bolivar/

David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.

Check out my Goodreads author page. While you’re at it, “Like” my Facebook author page for more updates!

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Attendance at the American Society of Journalists and Authors Conference

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David J. KentLast weekend (April 25-27) I attended the annual conference of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). I’m not a member, yet, but plan to be as soon as I meet the strict eligibility requirements for this professional society. My book, Tesla: Wizard of Electricity, is one credit towards being eligible, and I’m working on others.

Three-and-a-half hours on Amtrak and a 1.25 mile trek through Manhattan (with laptop and garment bags heavily strapped to my shoulders) brought me to the Roosevelt Hotel, the “Grand Dame of Madison Avenue.” I arrived just in time for the awards ceremony, where ASJA honors their own for excellence in writing, including Wendee Nicole for science writing.

As a first-timer I picked a range of sessions to get my feet wet. I started with “Building Your Business Through Travel Blogging.” As readers of this site will no doubt have guessed, one of my passions is to travel, so I must admit to being envious of the panel members who get paid to travel and write about their experiences. I was especially intrigued by Patricia Serrano, whose unique blend of travel writing and film-making is summed up well in her Fresh Traveler blog’s tag line – “off the beaten path adventures for a fresh mind, body and spirit.”

Next up was “Covering Your Assets: Personal Finance for the Independent Writer,” where I learned about retirement plans, insurance, and why you should NOT quit your day job. Then on to luncheon with featured speaker A.J. Jacobs. Jacobs is the author of three best-selling memoirs that include reading the entire 32-volume Encyclopedia Britannica, living a year by the rules of the Bible (Old Testament!), and his latest, Drop Dead Healthy. In short, Jacobs was both hilarious and helpful as he offered some great advice to writers. But Jacobs wasn’t the only person at the luncheon that gave out good advice – I had the pleasure of chatting with David Volk, an ASJA member and author of The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to Seattle. David was the one who reminded me to get photos of my meeting with the cast of the off-Broadway play, Tesla.

After lunch I couldn’t resist a session called “Spice Up Your Storytelling with Statistics.” Led by Laura Laing, author of Math for Grownups and the forthcoming Math for Writers, the session showed how statistics can help bring out the meat of the story. She also showed how not to use statistics, like pie charts of types of pies that total up to over 200%. The chart was confusing if not delicious. Next up was “Humanizing Esoterica: Turn Complex Ideas Into Great Stories,” by the inimitably named pairing of Barry Burd and Patchen Barss. Both of these afternoon sessions fit into my overall vision of communicating science in a way that is understandable and interesting to the general public.

But wait, there’s more.

As a winner of an ASJA scholarship to attend the event, I also had the chance to sit down for a mentoring session with an established author. I was privileged to spend a half hour with Tim Harper, author of 12 books as well as a freelance writer, writing coach, editorial consultant, and in his spare time, brainchild behind a new publishing venture at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Tim provided some valuable insight for putting together a proposal for my new book on Abraham Lincoln’s love of science and technology.

And that was just day one. A good place to stop. More on the second day in a later post.

More about ASJA.

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