The 2012 Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference

The country’s premier travel writing conference is fast approaching. This year’s Book Passage Travel Writers & Photographers Conference takes place Aug. 9-12 in Corte Madera, Calif., just a few minutes’ drive north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Spaces are still available.

I’ll be back on the faculty, teaching online writing and blogging with Pam Mandel. This year’s faculty also includes New Yorker Staff Writer Susan Orlean, Afar Editor Julia Cosgrove, San Francsico Chronicle Travel Editor Spud Hilton and dozens of other accomplished writers, editors and photographers.

Many students at the conference have gone on to contribute to World Hum and a wide range of publications.

What’s the conference like? I loved Lavinia Spalding’s reflection on last year’s conference:

Around midnight on Saturday, I sat in a piazza under a perfectly full moon listening to my new friend Pam Mandel strum a ukulele. On my left, legendary travel writer Don George crooned “I Will Survive,” while across the table, San Francisco Chronicle travel editor Spud Hilton plucked at his own ukulele. On my right, award-winning photographer Liza Gershmann used my iphone to search for lyrics to an Indigo Girls’ tune, and World Hum’s Jim Benning sang a Death Cab for Cutie song. Together, we belted out “Rocket Man,” “The Rainbow Connection,” and “It Had to Be You.” Our coda was “Summertime”—the perfect song to end the perfect evening.

You really should’ve been there.

Let me rephrase that: you really could have been there.

This was no private party for the travel-writing elite or some secret society of travelerati. It was the annual Book Passage Travel and Food Writing & Photography Conference in Corte Madera, California—open to anyone and hands down the most exciting writing event I’ve ever attended. Consider this: there’s no application process, no previous publishing credits required. No judgment, ego, or cliques, and absolutely no limit to the connections you can make.

Her post—you can read the entire piece here—captures the vibe perfectly. I’ve been to more than a few conferences around the country. Book Passage is unique. What I love most is its emphasis on great writing and photography, and the friendly, informal gatherings that run well into each night. There’s plenty of time during classes and lectures to talk about craft. Then the party really kicks off over dinner and wine. Ukuleles come out. On Saturday night, karaoke is sung inflicted. It’s a lot of fun. But more than that, it’s a genuinely inspirational experience.

You can register for the conference here.

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