Linda Watanabe McFerrin: Writing About Place Across Genres
We live in a world of monumental movement and migration, so it's no surprise that navigating that terrain on the page has never been more important. Whether in fiction or nonfiction, the ability to create a sense of place and all its connections—physical, emotional, psychological, historical, experiential, and so on—with verisimilitude can make the difference between whether the writing connects or gets ... literally ... left behind. It also allows for publication in multiple markets and genres.
In this workshop (see video below), Linda Watanabe McFerrin covers the elements involved in creating that very specific sense of place in a limitless world.
Linda Watanabe McFerrin is a poet, travel writer, novelist and contributor to numerous newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of two poetry collections, past editor of a popular Northern California guidebook and a winner of the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction. Her award-winning book-length fiction titles include NAMAKO: SEA CUCUMBER, THE HAND OF BUDDHA, and DEAD LOVE (Stone Bridge Press, 2009), a Bram Stoker Award Finalist for Superior Achievement in a Novel. The most recent collection of her work, NAVIGATING THE DIVIDE (Alan Squire Publishing, 2019), was a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist. Anne Lamott had this to say about Linda’s latest poetry collection, POST-APOCALYPTIC VALENTINE (7.13 Books, 2024): “I have loved everything I've ever read by Linda Watanabe McFerrin.”
In addition, Linda has co-edited twelve anthologies, including the HOT FLASHES: SEXY LITTLE STORIES & POEMS series; judged the San Francisco Literary Awards, the Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence and the Kiriyama Prize; served as a visiting mentor for the Loft Mentor Series; and been guest faculty at the Oklahoma Arts Institute. A past NEA Panelist and juror for the Marin Literary Arts Council and the founder of Left Coast Writers®, she has led workshops in Greece, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Central America, Indonesia, Scotland, Spain and the United States and has mentored a long list of accomplished writers and best-selling authors toward publication.
If you missed this workshop, I hope you enjoy the recording. You can also download the handouts that accompanied Linda’s workshop here.
Finally, here is Linda’s list of travel book recommendations, as promised at the end of the workshop:
Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, Tim Cahill
Triest and the Meaning of Nowhere, Jan Morris
The Underworld, Susan Casey
All the Right Places, Brad Newsham
Shopping for Buddhas, Jeff Greenwald
West with the Night, Beryl Markham
Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen
Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, Gary Kamiya
And here are some recommendations of mine:
The Songlines, Bruce Chatwin
A Short Walk Through the Hindu Kush, Eric Newby
Slowly Down the Ganges, Eric Newby
What the Traveler Saw, Eric Newby
A Small Place in Italy, Eric Newby
A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle
Enjoy, and happy writing!
Shirin