Words & Images: Writers, Photographers, Filmmakers, & More

Travelers’ Tales’ publisher and writer Larry Habegger talks about a Deep Travel writing workshop he was getting ready to lead in Morocco. We discussed writing workshops, the Morocco one specifically, and Deep Travel’s philosophy of travel. We also discussed facts about Morocco, how writing helps a writer to connect to a place, and why journaling by hand is better than on a computer. Recorded live in studio on February 25, 2018. Larry Habegger is a travel writer, editor, teacher, and publisher who has been covering the world since he began traveling internationally in the 70s. As a freelance writer and syndicated columnist for more than 30 years, his work has appeared in major newspapers and magazines, such as the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Travel & Leisure, and Outside. In 1993 Larry co-founded the award-winning Travelers’ Tales books, of which he is executive editor.

Recorded live on July 22, 2018, Matthew talked with San Franciso-based painter and writer Colette Hannahan about the challenges and joys of living a creative life. They also talked about her work, her unique approach to educating herself, and some incredible mentors she’s had along the way.

Recorded live on July 8, 2018, Matthew has a great discussion with Falk Cammin about the importance of the humanities, why hope was once considered an evil, and the Humanities Mellon Scholars Program. Dr. Cammin is the Program Director at Foothill College and DeAnza College, which partner with the University of San Francisco to provide a diverse population of students with the advantages of a humanities-infused education—and some incredible opportunities.

Award-winning graphic designer Erica Heitman-Ford called in from New York City! We discussed graphic design, the art of the book cover, and more. Erica’s work graced Print Magazine’s 75th anniversary edition, and she has designed for Victoria's Secret, Barnes & Noble, and Whole Foods, among many others. 

In this episode, which also appears in my Travelers on Travel podcast, award-winning filmmaker and cinematographer Hervé Cohen talked about his latest project. Featured at South by Southwest (SXSW), Life Underground is both an online experience and an immersive installation, allowing viewers to meet subway passengers around the world and listen to their personal stories, dreams, and deepest thoughts. Hervé Cohen has traveled the world capturing compelling stories, including work on feature Ayiti Mon Amour, which was on the list for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2018 Oscars. Recorded live on July 1, 2018.

Over 18 years ago at a bar in San Francisco, a free one-day reading series was born. Last year, it featured 850 authors, had 14,300 attendees, and held 180 events, 86% of which were free. That event is Litquake, and author, journalist, editor, screenwriter, and public speaker Jane Ganahl is its co-founder. I talked with Jane about the organization’s origins, its incredibly successful namesake festival, its year-round initiatives, and more. Recorded live on July 1, 2018.

Recorded live on June 3, 2018, Zoë Elton, Director of Programming for the Mill Valley Film Festival, gave us the inside scoop on what goes on at the Cannes Film Festival, how the Mill Valley Film Festival is making a difference, and why she was excited about the recent royal wedding—even if her nephew’s dog was not. Every year the 11-day Mill Valley Film Festival welcomes more than 200 filmmakers and 60,000 attendees from around the world.

Educator, women’s studies pioneer, traveler, and writer Diane LeBow, Ph.D., recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from Rutgers University, talked about her adventures, activism, and in-progress book about her search for the best of all possible worlds. Recorded live on March 18, 2018.

Recorded live on air on May 20, 2018, Matthew talks with Tania Romanov, author of the new book Mother Tongue, the true-life saga of three generations of Balkan women. A writer, traveler, and award-winning photographer, Tania was born in Serbia and spent her early years in a refugee camp in Trieste, Italy—enduring incredible experiences that to many might seem like abstract events in faraway lands, but that she lived firsthand. Tania went on to attend San Francisco public schools, U.C.Berkeley, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and she served as CEO of three IT companies.

Founded by author Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari, 826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Recorded live on air on July 22, 2018, Matthew talks with Program Coordinators Shelby DeWeese and Ricardo Cruz about 826 Valenica’s history, mission, and awesome podcast program! 

Recorded live on air on April 8, 2018, Matthew talks with production designer and manager Jesper Luth. Jesper has designed and managed big-name concert tours all over the world, starting his career at the ripe young age of just fifteen years old. He has worked with Hall and Oates, Tears for Fears, System of a Down, Michael McDonald, Nick Jonas—and even Barack Obama. Jesper will tell us what goes into designing a concert stage, what life’s like on the road, and how he has grown professionally and personally over his long, successful career.

Matthew talks with photographer and author Lone Mørch about the hows, whys, and discovery, healing, and transformation that has resulted from her photography, as featured in her beautiful, powerful new book, Embody: Intimate Photographic Encounters with Women. Lone has lived and worked in Europe, Asia and the United States. Her essays have been published in Danish, American and Nepalese newspapers, anthologies, and magazines, including InStyle, Cosmopolitan, People, the SF Chronicle, and the Huffington Post. Recorded live on air on May 27, 2018.

In this episode, which also appears in his Travelers on Travel podcast, Matthew talks with award-winning author, filmmaker, and LitWings founder Erin Byrne about someplace Matthew himself know well: ¡España! From leading fellow writers in search of Lorca’s duende to her own profound spiritual experiences to the film she’s currently producing there, Erin has lots to say about Spain—and writing and travel and so much more. Erin is the author of Wings: Gifts of Art, Life, and Travel in France, and the editor of two Vignettes & Postcards anthologies. She was just named Travel Writing curator for The Creative Process Exhibition. Recorded live on air on May 27, 2018.

Not to be outdone by Don George singing in Japanese on a previous episode, Outside magazine founding editor and legendary travel writer Tim Cahill wowed the show by telling a moving story about penguins in the Barcelona zoo—en español! Tim also shared his 25-year battle with malaria, going deep while writing, and why dying didn’t change much. Recorded live on air on July 15, 2018.

Recorded live on air on July 18, 2018, Matthew talked with award-winning artist and writer Paul Madonna about the joys and lingering challenges of a trip to France, how his All Over Coffee series and novel Close Enough for the Angels deconstructed then rethought the relationship between words and images, and his new series in the Nob Hill Gazette, Quotable City.

In this episode, which also appears in his Travelers on Travel podcast, Matthew talked with one of the world’s most successful photographers, Robert Holmes. Bob has worked for National Geographic, Geo, Wine Spectator, and many more over his 35-year career. He and Matthew discussed his friendship with Ansel Adams, running for his life from captors in the Himalaya, and dressing inappropriately for the Queen of England. Recorded live on air on March 4, 2018.

Recorded live on air on March 18, 2018, Matthew talked with New York Times best-selling author Jasmin Darznik about her novel, Song of a Captive Bird, a fictional account of Iran’s trailblazing woman poet, Forugh Farrokhzad.