Littourati News: Interactive Map of Great Journeys

A website called GOOD has mapped out some famous journeys in an interactive fashion.  Here you can find maps of historical and literary journeys with descriptions of pivotal places along the way.  It's a cool way to occupy a few minutes in your spare time, as well as give you a sense of the scope of these journeys.  Check out their Wanderlust map here.

Michael Hess

Littourati News: Some Travel Literature Lists

Recently, I stumbled across the following lists of travel literature.  I certainly haven't read all of these, and I'm not necessarily going to make travel books or novels the focus of my Littourati posts in all cases because I am focused on the journeys that literature, any literature, creates in my imagination.  But, that being said, travel literature is easy for me to map because it goes from place to place.  So, here's some online lists of travel literature you might find interesting:

The Telegraph's (UK) 20 Best Travel Books of All Time

The Guardian's (UK) Tim Lott: Best Road Novels

Smithsonian.com: Great Road Trips in American Literature

Missing Parsons' Top 10 Road Books

Wayward Women: Great Books Where Women Hit the Road

List of Top American Road Trip Books

Top 10 Great Travel Novels by Listverse

100 Most Celebrated Travel Books of All Time by Worldhum

The 50 Greatest Travel Books of All Time on the Matador Network

Well, that's a lot of lists to keep you busy.  I hope you try a few of them and I hope they take you many places!

Michael Hess

Littourati on Hiatus for Three Weeks: Off to Turkey!

Meerhaba Littourati!  If you're wondering why there hasn't been any new posts in a while, it's because I am traveling.  I am accompanying my wife as she participates in a delegation of journalists to Turkey,  Our trip will take us from Istanbul to Ankara, south to Konya, then into Cappadocia, Izmir, and a stop in Ephesus.  Finally, we will finish with five more days to take in the sights and sounds of Istanbul again.

I will be back on May 30, and the Blue Highways posts will continue then.  In the meantime, I hope to make occasional postings to my personal blog, Muse Gumbo, and will possibly develop an interactive map of our trip, complete with pictures and perhaps even some video.

I look forward to getting back to the Blue Highways when I return, but for now, think of me in a bazaar bargaining for rugs, or in a Turkish bath, or watching Sufis whirling to touch God.

Michael Hess

Motherhood is a Journey - Enjoy Your Mother's Day!

I am constantly amazed at the journeys we take in life, and none is more amazing to me than the journey that mothers take.  They willingly take on the job of hosting a new being inside their bodies, give birth to that new creation, knowing that joy will emerge from the pain of birth, and then give of themselves over and over throughout their child's emergence from infant to adult, and even beyond.  Not to diss fathers, but mothers are very special.

Whatever journeys you travel - if you are a mother, a wanna-be mother, a wished-you-could-have-been-a-mother - or anything that involves mother in the title, Littourati is in awe of you.  You have made, or shown the courage to want to make (even if it didn't work out), one of life's greatest journeys.

Here's a poem set to video, inspired by the mother-teenage daughter relationship, that I wrote.  If you're the mother of a boy, or a mother-at-heart, I haven't written one for you yet, but it doesn't mean you're not important.  They're different journeys, but all share the goal of wanting to shape the next generation of responsible adults.

Michael Hess

Littourati News: Going to the Mardi Gras

From March 3-9 I'll be in New Orleans for the Carnival and Mardi Gras festivities.  I may be able to post an entry during this time, but maybe not if I'm having too much fun.  At any rate, posts will begin again around March 10.

Michael