Trekking the Lycian Way, Turkey

View along the Seven Capes Trek, Lycian Way, Turkey.

 Likya Yolu---The Lycian Way

Last month Marianne Sullivan, a friend since third grade, and I signed up for a trek along the southern Turkish coast with Middle Earth Travel. Our trek started near the town of Fethiye, on the west side of the Taurus Mountains and it ended at the ancient city of Patara, home of St. Nicholas. The weather kindly stayed in the high 70's. We met locals along The Way who invited our group of nine trekkers (Australian, American and Turkish) to rest with them and drink chai (tea).

We also saw a smattering of Greek and Roman ruins here and there. Apparently, our route neared Xanthos, where Alexandra and the Persians clashed forces. Bushwacking up one particularly steep, rocky and narrow section of the trail, I asked one of my hiking partners, a retired general in the Turkish air force, if he knew whether we were really walking in the footsteps of Cyrus and Alexander. He said, "If they did, I question their military intelligence."

Three books about this region that I have yet to read, which promise to delight are: Lycian Way by Kate Clow; The Western Shores of Turkey, by John Freely; and Lycia: The Land of Light, by Akist.

I recommend this trek to people who want to experience rural Turkish villages as well as those who like walking. We averaged about 8 hrs a day and the elevation gain ranged between 2,100 and 4,200 feet per day.  The meals were FABULOUS and cooked by locals at the villages we stayed in each night. We could not have found better guides or traveling companions. We hope to meet up with them all again one day. Perhaps on another Middle Earth trek...

Snow capped peaks of Taurus Mountains in distance.

Book Cover Debut for Night Letter

I am pleased to present the cover for Night Letter, a companion novel for Anahita's Woven Riddle, forthcoming in the fall with Nortia Press.

The cover art is by Rashin Kheiriyeh, an award-winning artist from Tehran. The cover design is by Lindsey Wells, a graphic designer. Interior art by Uzbek artists and others from the region of the the novel's setting add a richness to the book.

I look forward to seeing librarians, educators and others at ALA this June, where I will be signing arcs at the Consortium booth. Stop by for book marks, posters, and other interesting giveaways, including souvenirs from Uzbekistan.

Donations needed for Turkish children's libraries

This spring I will travel to Turkey where I will meet with members of the Turkish International Board on Books For Young People. This organization is working with the Turkish Society of School Librarians and an mother and child agency ACEV to bring three libraries to the earthquake-stricken regions near the city of Van. Last fall the natural disaster caused tens of thousands to loose their loved ones and their homes.

If you would like to send a donation that will help these organizations to purchase books for the children's libraries, please send a check to Meghan Sayres, c/o Inland Northwest SCBWI, P.O. Box 30295, Spokane, WA, 99223.

Thank you for your support!

As a shepherd, I tend to get excited when I see sheep who are doing unusual things. In this case I believe they are taking a taxi somewhere.

This photo was taken by my American friend Eslie Alan, who was traveling in Bosnia when she came across these adventurous sheep. Elsie is always traveling about, meeting interesting people and creatures to write about. Mostly Elsie writes about her life in Istanbul, where she has been living for about five years. If you are interested in knowing more about Turkey, you can follow Elsie's column at Today's Zaman, a print and online newspaper published in Istanbul.

This link leads to her recent piece about an excursion to the Mediterranean coast to a town called Kucukbache.

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-218752-the-outsider-the-little-garden.html

Fahimeh Amiri's Fine Art Dazzles and Demystifies

I am proud to announce the opening of my friend Fahimeh Amiri's first solo exhibition at Finch Lane Gallery in Salt Lake City, Utah. The show will run until March 2nd.

Fahimeh has a breadth of experience as an artist, which began in her youth in Tehran as a student of the School of Fine Arts and as apprentice to the great Iranian master miniaturist Hossein Behzad. She has illustrated several children's books and currently teaches private art lessons to Salt Lake City youth.


Fahimeh states that her current work is an in depth depiction of women's lives under the influence of Islam from ancient times to the present day. I would add that past meets present in her paintings. Walking into Finch Lane gallery is like stepping into ancient Persepolis, in the desert valley between Shiraz and Yadz, Iran. Images on the walls evoke processions of subjects bearing gifts to the 5th century Persian King Cyrus the Great (author of the first human rights charter). A replica of this clay cylinder written in cuneiform is housed in the United Nations. The images of Persepolis are juxtaposed with those of everyday life, including vibrant depictions of women socializing in a hookah den or plunging into the traffic-clogged streets of Tehran.

To read an article about this exhibition featured in Utah Arts Magazine, visit:
http://artistsofutah.org/15Bytes/index.php/fahimeh-amiri-at-finch-lane-gallery/

Interested in International Literature?

I am one of three newly appointed Washington State Ambassadors to The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY), the American section of the International Board on Books For Young People (IBBY), which is a nonprofit organization founded to promote international understanding and good will through books for children and adolescents. It's patron organizations are the Children´s Book Council (CBC), the American Library Association (ALA), the International Reading Association (IRA), and the National College of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Conferences are held nationally (usually in the fall) and internationally every other year. I recently attended the 2011 Conference in Fresno and would recommend attending the 2013 Conference in St. Louis, MO, to anyone interested in promoting reading around the world, books with multicultural themes, translated works and award winners from other countries. USBBY and IBBY are also involved in special projects, such a sponsoring libraries in developing countries and donating books to children in crisis. About 250 educators, librarians and authors attended the Fresno gathering representing six continents. Please see my recent blog post about the conference and the Brazilian illustrator I met, Roger Mello: http://writingandwandering.blogspot.com/2011/11/brazilian-artist-roger-mello-inspired.html

More details about USBBY and IBBY can be found at: www.usbby.org and http://www.ibby.org/

Please consider joining me as a member in 2012!

Celebrate Winter Solstice With Bending the Boyne

Winter Solstice is nearing and I can't think of a better way to celebrate the coming of longer days than reading a debut novel about ancient Ireland Bending the Boyne, by J.S. Dunn. This lyrical and sparsely written tale has received an IndieNext award from the American Independent Booksellers Association for historical fiction.

Living in the Pacific Northwest, where darkness falls at about 3:45 pm in December, has made me acutely aware of my Irish ancestors' keen interest in tracking the sun and stars. It is delightful to have this novel to help me to imagine what inspired the people who created the megalithic architecture along the River Boyne, which served as a seasonal clock.

The following link is an recent article in the Irish Times on this subject.


http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sciencetoday/2011/1215/1224309094012.html

Happy Holidays!