I am a Bay Area writer, songwriter, and college English teacher, and believe that writing helps us see and understand ourselves and our surroundings -- and, by extension, share ourselves and the world with others. This is why I read and write when I travel, and why traveling enriches my reading and writing.
Toby Bielawski's Full profile
Hometown
Berkeley, Ca., US
Location now
Albany, Ca., US
Work published
Travel writing: Intravelmag.com, matador.com, travelerspen.com
Music writing: eastbayexpress, radiance magazine
Poetry: hardpan, Grecourt Review, Green Age Review, seedhouse, beyond definition
Travel philosophy
To keep my mind open and keep myself fully aware, I keep a pen and notebook always nearby, and I never shy away from a chance to talk with locals (as much as language allows!).
Craziest place
I don't know if any "place" is crazy in itself -- it's what's going on there that makes it crazy. Watching romantic Paris turn into an all-night urban version of Burning Man during Nuit Blanche last October was pretty crazy!
Bizarre experience
Feeding marshmallows to alligators in the Louisiana bayou. America is a country of many cultures, and it's possible to feel like you're on another planet when you're right here in your own backyard, practically.
Advice
Try to be prepared for anything, and as opportunities arise, be open to everything! (Well, almost everything. Foreign prisions are no fun).
Dream destination
Almost anywhere I haven't been! But especially Greece, and northern Europe (places whose art I studied in college).
Traveled before
48 out of 50 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, France, Spain, England, Poland, Israel, Japan.
Going next
Cleveland. *sigh*
Read more about me
- Jun 28, 2007 - United States
Kodiak Notes – Meetings with Salmon and Spruce
Shale -- wet shale, and moss. I’m in Alaska again. This time feels ......
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- Jun 27, 2007 - Paris, France
The White Nights of Paris: A Farewell
On the last night in Paris, I’ve always heard, a kind of frenzy can ......
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