There She Goes

A quick check in about summer and a glimpse of things to come for the remainder of Season 2.

This week, in honor of Father's Day, we travel with Alison Singh Gee to Yosemite National park in California, where she revisits memories of her father and finally musters the strength to stand up to an old nemesis. Alison, a former Time Inc. journalist, wrote Where the Peacocks Sing, a Hong Kong-India memoir about her discovery that her Indian-journalist fiancé grew up in a 19th-century palace. She is a professor of creative nonfiction at Scripps College, and her essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Poets & Writers, and Westways. She is working on a new memoir, about LA's Chinatown.

This week we travel with Sandra Gail Lambert to the Florida Everglades, where she finds out if her complex solo kayaking plan will be worth the effort –or even possible. Sandra Gail Lambert writes fiction and memoir that is often about the body and its relationship to the natural world. She is the author of the Lambda Literary Award-nominated memoir A Certain Loneliness and The River's Memory, a novel. Her writing has been widely anthologized and published by The New York Times, The Sun Magazine, Orion, and The Paris Review. Lambert is an NEA Creative Writing Fellow.

Today we travel with Jenna Scatena to a jungle in Northern Thailand where she impetuously entrusts her life to a mysterious, notorious--and potentially dangerous--trekking guide. Jenna is an independent journalist based in Istanbul and San Francisco. She has been an editor for Sunset and San Francisco Magazines and has reported for American and British media from 21 countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, where her work explores the intersection of place and culture. She's an international correspondent for Conde Nast Traveler and her stories have appeared in The Atlantic, BBC, San Francisco Chronicle, AFAR, O the Oprah magazine, Marie Claire, and Vogue, among others.

Today we travel with Angela Long to India, where she meets a holy man with an important message for her. Angela Long is a freelance journalist and multi-genre writer. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Globe and Mail, Utne Reader, and Poetry Ireland Review. She's the author of two books, Observations from Off the Grid (2010), and Every Day We Disappear (2018). While she calls Canada home, she lives part-time in Galicia, Spain where she cares for a growing number of abandoned cats.

Jacqueline is the author of the novels, Passing Love and Searching for Tina Turner . Her essays have been published in Best Women's Travel Writing 2011 and 2020, and the Huffington Post. She received her MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts from the University of California Riverside. The Bay Area native lives in Oakland, and continues her travels to nurture her passion for photography and exotic foods.

Today we travel with Pam Mandel to Branson, Missouri, where she finds a state of confusion and an unexpected plot twist in the familiar Passover story. Pam's work has appeared in Seattle Met, Lonely Planet, the San Francisco Chronicle, DK Eyewitness, Afar, AAA's Via Magazine, G Adventures, and the Best Women's Travel Writing. She co-founded The Statesider, an award-winning publication that curates the most interesting stories about US travel and culture. She's at work on a screenplay based on her gritty coming of age travel memoir, The Same River Twice, A Memoir of Dirtbag Backpackers, Bomb Shelters, and Bad Travel. Nerd'sEyeView.com (Nerd'sEyeView.com)

Today we travel with Lisa Boice to Ecuador, where she searches for inspiration in the form of one courageous, elusive bird. When not working her corporate job as a communications manager, Lisa Boice travels the world with her husband in search of birds. Her work has appeared in The Statesider and she has received a handful of Solas Travel Writing Awards from Travelers Tales. Stories of her birding travels can be found at TheAccidentalBirder.com and she is currently working on a memoir.

There She Goes is a storytelling podcast. Travel stories, told by the women who wrote them. Pack your bags, cuz here we go....

Today we travel to Sicily with Ann Leary, as she and her husband Denis face their fears in search of The Godfather, drive the terrifying Autostrade, get lost on nearly vertical switchbacks, and hike up Mt Etna, where, she notes, “lava could erupt at any moment with zero warning.” Ann Leary is the author of the novels, THE CHILDREN, THE GOOD HOUSE, OUTTAKES FROM A MARRIAGE, and the memoir, AN INNOCENT, A BROAD. Her bestselling novel, THE GOOD HOUSE, has recently been adapted as a motion picture. The film starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline, will be released in 2020. Ann's New York Times essay, “Rallying to Keep the Game Alive,” was adapted for the Amazon Modern Love TV Series and stars Tina Fey and John Slattery. She is currently working on a new novel and a collection of essays for Simon and Schuster. Her work has been translated into eighteen languages and she has written for numerous publications including Ploughshares, NPR, Real Simple and the New York Times. First appeared in the Best Women's Travel Writing, Volume 11

We're wrapping up Season 1 and we are so wildly delighted that we pulled it off and created a podcast --that we celebrated by recording a second "bonus episode" featuring ...the two of us in conversation! (What? Such a novel concept!) Next week we'll drop our final episode of the season (Ann Leary will take us to Sicily) before we take a break. But today, you can tune in hear Lavinia & Kelly recap the season a bit, laugh a lot (mostly abut how we knew squat about podcasting when we became "podcasters"), discuss the value of stories and podcast in the time of pandemic, and dream of future adventures.

Today, in honor of Father's Day, we travel around the world with Naomi Melati Bishop as she recounts her father's spectacular adventures -- and takes us on a mission to honor his final wishes. Naomi Melati Bishop was born in Indonesia to odd soul mates: a Javanese princess and a wild New Yorker dad. She moved to NYC when she was eleven, where she currently resides with her daughter and partner. Naomi earned her MFA at NYU's Graduate Creative Writing Program and works as a writer, editor, and teacher. Naomi runs an editing service, TheEdit.nyc, and is currently at work on her first book, a memoir about her mysterious origins, new motherhood, her parents' love story, and her inheritance of worldwide adventures.

Today we travel with Kimberley Lovato to Ireland, where, after a lifetime of sticking out -- she finds a sense of belonging, and an appreciation for what sets her apart. Kimberley's work has appeared in many publications, including The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Conde Nast Traveler, The Best Travel Writing, and the Saturday Evening Post. Kimberley is also the author of several travel-themed books, including Walnut Wine and Truffle Groves, which was awarded a gold Lowell Thomas award in 2012. "Pretty Red" first appeared in American Way in 2014 https://www.there-she-goes.co/

Today we travel with Maxine Rose Schur to Iran, where she finds unexpected warmth, comfort -- and trust -- through a silent twilight ritual with a stranger. Maxine is an award-winning children's book author and travel essayist, whose essays have appeared in numerous publications including The Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The Christian Science Monitor. Her memoir, Places in Time, was named the 2006 Best Travel Book of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association and was awarded a Gold Lowell Thomas award. The book will be reprinted in 2022 by Adelaide Books. First appeared in the Best Women's Travel Writing Volume 11

Today we travel with Abbie Kozolchyk as she makes her way to Suriname, Paraguay, Guyana and French Guiana, on an epic -- maybe even heroic -- personal quest to right a wrong. Abbie spent the first many years of her career in the world of women's magazines, where she wrote and edited for the likes of Glamour, Allure, and Cosmo. She is the author of the National Geographic book, The World's Most Romantic Destinations, and she has recently contributed to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times, among others.

Today we travel with Marcia DeSanctis to France, where, on a dark early morning at Mont St. Michel, she's reminded of the importance of vigilance, and the existence of angels. Marcia is the New York Times bestselling author of 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go, and she contributes to Vogue, Town & Country, Travel & Leisure, O the Oprah Magazine, National Geographic Traveler, Tin House, The New York Times, and many other publications. Her book of essays, A HARD PLACE TO LEAVE, will be published in 2022.

Today we travel with Marcia DeSanctis to France, where, on a dark early morning at Mont St. Michel, she's reminded of the importance of vigilance, and the existence of angels. Maggie Downs is the author of the memoir Braver Than You Think: Around the World on the Trip of My (Mother's) Lifetime, published in 2020 by Counterpoint Press. Her work has been anthologized in Best Women's Travel Writing and Lonely Planet's True Stories From the World's Best Writers, and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and McSweeney's, among others. She is based in Palm Springs, California.

Today we travel with Jill Robinson to Switzerland where she meets a stranger who teaches her that there is more than seeing with the eyes. Jill writes about travel and adventure for National Geographic, AFAR, Travel + Leisure, Outside, Food & Wine, Men's Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, and many more. She's the editor for GuestLife Monterey Bay, and her book, 100 Things to Do in San Francisco Before You Die, 2nd edition, was released in 2018. She has won Lowell Thomas, Society of American Travel Writers, and American Society of Journalists and Authors awards.

Today we travel with Jesse Gardner to Vashon Island, Washington, where, en route to look for whales, she discovers an unwieldy dream on the side of the road. Jesse is a writer and photographer. She co-founded Write, a workshop for writers on Orcas Island. She's been a contributor to the Huffington Post, and a Guest Columnist at the New Tribune. Her photographs have twice earned an "editors pick" on National Geographic's Your Shot and she's served as the Official Photographer of the Doe Bay and Timber! Music Festivals. Jesse is creating a feature-length screenplay based on the life of her 8x (do you say Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great) great-grandmother.

There She Goes...AGAIN Today we're here with Faith Adiele in our first bonus episode of There She Goes … Again. We know we said we wouldn't be doing interviews, but we've heard the requests for follow-ups with our storytellers, so -on occasion- we'll be offering these short bonus episodes--in which one of our guests answers THREE questions that bring you a little deeper into her story. We visit with Faith to learn more about how her story ends and what she takes away from her time in Thailand.

Today we travel with Faith Adiele to Thailand, where, on a pilgrimage in search of famous nuns, she finds her plans abruptly changed by a group of drunken businessmen, one small, sleepy boy, and the threat of bandits. FAITH is the author of the memoir MEETING FAITH, an account of becoming Thailand's first Black Buddhist nun that won the PEN Open Book Award. Her media writing credits include the HBO-Max limited series, A WORLD OF CALM, and the PBS documentary MY JOURNEY HOME. Her essays appear in numerous anthologies, including four volumes of BEST WOMEN'S TRAVEL WRITING. Faith founded the nation's first writing workshop for travelers of color through VONA/Voices, and she teaches and lectures around the world on decolonial and inclusive travel writing.

Today we travel with Suzanne Roberts to Santorini, Greece, where a mother-daughter trip turns into an adventure that neither woman expected. Suzanne's books include the memoir in travel essays, Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel, the memoir Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail, the forthcoming essay collection Animal Bodies: On Death, Desire, and Other Difficulties, and four books of poems. She was named “The Next Great Travel Writer” by National Geographic's Traveler Magazine, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, CNN, Creative Nonfiction, Brevity, and elsewhere.

Today we travel with Mathangi Subramanian to Bangalore, India, where a young girl teaches her about pride, prayer, and the politics of desire. Mathangi is an Indian American writer and educator whose middle grades novel, Dear Mrs. Naidu, won the South Asia book award. Her novel A People's History of Heaven was a finalist for the LAMBDA literary awards and was longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner and the Center for Fiction first book prize. Her personal essays and op-eds have appeared in Harper's Bazaar, The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, and Al Jazeera America, among others.

Today we travel with Natalie Baszile to southern Louisiana, to experience the healing power of FOOD. Natalie is the author of Queen Sugar, which has been adapted for a fifth television season by and co-produced by Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey. Her new non-fiction book We Are Each Other's Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land & Memory, was published by HarperCollins in April, 2021.

Today, for our very first episode, we'll begin in the South, in New Orleans, with my co-host Kelly Chappie, telling the story behind the making of There She Goes. It involves very big oysters, very cheap cocktails, a few Tornado warnings, and a friendship that was waiting to happen.

Welcome to There She Goes -- where women writers share true stories of travel. THEIR stories, THEIR experiences, told in THEIR own voices. This snippet gives you a sense of what's to come on There She Goes.