Best Tim Swick Podcasts (2024)

1
Thomas Bird – Harmony Express: Travels by Train Through China 39:56

8M ago39:56

39:56

Thomas Bird joins me on the podcast to talk about his book Harmony Express: Travels by Train Through China (Earnshaw Books 2023).We talk about Thomas's new book and his creative journey, the development and history of China's rail network, freelance writing in China in the early 2000s, China's diversity, his advice for "writing for the ages," and m…

1
Thomas Swick – Falling Into Place: A Story of Love, Poland, and the Making of a Travel Writer 31:33

8M ago31:33

31:33

Thomas Swick joins me on the podcast to talk about his book Falling Into Place: A Story of Love, Poland, and the Making of a Travel Writer (Rowman & Littlefield 2023).Thomas and I chat about Tom’s creative journey, his time in Poland, the evolution of the travel writer as an occupation, the importance of having life experiences for writers, and a l…

1
Jeremy Bassetti Speaks with Ryan Murdock about “The Hill of the Skull” 53:57

9M ago53:57

53:57

Toady I’m bringing you a conversation I had with Ryan Murdock for his Personal Landscapes Podcast. He was kind enough to not only chat with me about my book The Hill of the Skull on his podcast, but let me re-broadcast a the conversation here on Travel Writing World. We talk about sacred mountains, anthropology, Bolivia, globalization, pilgrimage, …

1
“The Hill of the Skull” Book Launch on Kickstarter 2:14

10M ago2:14

2:14

A quick update to announce my new photobook memoir The Hill of the Skull launches today on Kickstarter. The campaign runs from September 25 until October 26, 2023.The book features a 7,000-word memoir, around 50 photographs, an afterword by celebrated author Pico Iyer, and a behind-the-scenes dialogue I had with the award-winning British photograph…

1
Tom Parfitt – High Caucasus 27:49

1y ago27:49

27:49

Tom Parfitt joins me on the podcast to talk about his book High Caucasus (Headline 2023).Tom and I have a sober conversation about the 2004 Beslan School Massacre, his reporting in Russia, and his 1,000-mile walk across the Caucasus in southern Russia. I also ask Tom about Ukraine, and his commonly held assumptions or ideas about the people of the …

1
Jeff Biggers – In Sardinia 35:50

1y ago35:50

35:50

Jeff Biggers joins me on the podcast today, and we’re talking about his new book In Sardinia: An Unexpected Journey in Italy, which is as much a cultural history of the island as it is a travel book. In this wide-reaching conversation, we talk about D. H. Lawrence and the travel literature about the island, Sardinia’s ancient history, a few environ…

1
Tim Hannigan – The Granite Kingdom 34:04

1y ago34:04

34:04

Tim Hannigan is back on the Travel Writing World podcast, this time to talk about his new book The Granite Kingdom: A Cornish Journey, which is a literary and literal journey through Cornwall. In addition to Cornwall’s culture and geography, Tim and I also chat about re-centering maps, identity, walking, slow travel, the Tamar River, the Tim Hannig…

1
Leon McCarron – Wounded Tigris 35:18

1+ y ago35:18

35:18

Leon McCarron joins me today, and we’re talking about his new book Wounded Tigris: A River Journey through the Cradle of Civilisation (available in the UK on 6 April 2023 and in the USA from 7 November 2023).Leon is an author of several travel books, including The Land Beyond: A Thousand Miles on Foot through the Heart of the Middle East and The Ro…

1
Announcing “The Hill of the Skull” 3:43

1+ y ago3:43

3:43

Hello, everyone. This is episode 101 of the Travel Writing World podcast, and it will be a short one. In the introduction to episode 99, my recent interview with Pico Iyer, I mentioned that I am taking a break from my normal, fortnightly schedule of interviews in 2023 to focus on a few projects. Well, today I want to announce one of those projects …

1
J.F. Penn – Pilgrimage and Perspective 30:41

1+ y ago30:41

30:41

J.F. Penn joins me today, and we’re talking about her new book Pilgrimage.Joanna is an author of many fiction and non-fiction books, and the host of several podcasts including The Creative Penn Podcast for writers and the Books and Travel podcast. In addition to talking about her new book Pilgrimage, we also talk about voice in writing and creative…

1
Pico Iyer – The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise 32:26

1+ y ago32:26

32:26

Pico Iyer joins me on the podcast again. And this time we’re discussing his new book The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise. As the subtitle reveals, The Half Known Life is a book about the idea of paradise. But it is also a book about living in the real world and embracing the unknown, topics that Pico and I chat about in today's podcast.We al…

1
Sara Wheeler and Bill Colegrave 28:25

1+ y ago28:25

28:25

As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World. Today’s episode is Bill’s last interview, this one with Sara Wheeler. Now, most of you will be familiar with Sara for her books like Terra Incognita and The Magnetic North. And she wrote a biography of Apsley Ch…

1
Michelle Jana Chan and Bill Colegrave 28:26

2y ago28:26

28:26

As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World. This is his third interview, this one with Michelle Jana Chan. Michelle is an award-winning journalist and Travel Editor of Vanity Fair. She is the author of Song, a novel about a boy who leaves his impoverished…

1
Alexander Frater and Bill Colegrave 24:27

2y ago24:27

24:27

As you’ll remember from the announcement in episode 94, we’re publishing four of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World. This is his second interview, this one with the late Alexander Frater, the celebrated journalist and author who brought us works like Chasing the Monsoon: a Modern Pilgrimage Through India.Purchase Chasing the M…

1
Tony Wheeler and Bill Colegrave 33:09

2y ago33:09

33:09

As discussed in the previous episode, we’re publishing a few of Bill Colegrave’s interviews here on Travel Writing World. Today is the first interview out of four, this one with Tony Wheeler who, along with his wife Maureen, founded Lonely Planet.Purchase Scraps of Wool by Bill ColegraveIf you decide to purchase your books from Amazon, please use o…

1
Bill Colegrave and “Scraps of Wool” 32:56

2y ago32:56

32:56

Bill Colegrave joins me today to talk about his book Scraps of Wool: A Journey Through the Golden Age of Travel Literature, which is a collection of passages from some of the world’s best-known works of travel literature.As you’ll hear in the interview, Bill recorded interviews with Tony Wheeler, the late Alexander Frater, Sara Wheeler, and Michell…

1
Jennifer Barclay on Working in a Taverna in Greece and Being a Literary Agent 37:21

2y ago37:21

37:21

Jennifer Barclay joins me on today's episode and we’re talking about her book The Taverna by the Sea: One Greek Island Summer (Bradt 2022).In this episode, we talk about Jennifer’s fascination with living on the Greek islands and her experience working in Greece. We also talk about her experiences as a literary agent and the process of selling trav…

1
Mary Novakovich on Croatia and “My Family and Other Enemies” 25:07

2y ago25:07

25:07

Joining me today is Mary Novakovich. And we’re talking about her book My Family and Other Enemies: Life and Travels in Croatia's Hinterland (Bradt 2022).In this episode, we talk about a rustic region in Croatia called Lika, where her family is from, and its appeal. We also talk a bit about travel literature about Croatia and her experiences finding…

1
Announcement: 30 Days in the Andes 1:53

2y ago1:53

1:53

Hello, everyone. No interview today. But I do have some news.During the month of August, I’ll be traveling through the Andes mountains—from Santa Cruz, Bolivia overland to Cusco, Peru. Every day, from August 2 until August 31, 2022, I will send an email documenting my experiences to subscribers of a “pop-up” newsletter I’m calling 30 DAYS IN THE AN…

1
Robert Kaplan and the Adriatic 20:36

2y ago20:36

20:36

Joining me today is Robert Kaplan. And we’re talking about his newest book Adriatic: A Concert of Civilizations at the End of the Modern Age. As you know, Robert is the author of many books, including The Ends of the Earth, An Empire Wilderness, and the controversial Balkan Ghosts.In this episode, we talk about why the Adriatic is so interesting hi…

1
Benedict Allen, Explorer and The Quest for Adventure 29:25

2y ago29:25

29:25

Benedict Allen is my guest today. He is the author of several books, including most recently Explorer: The Quest for Adventure and the Great Unknown. I ask him about his urge to explore, and about what I poorly articulate as his “old school” mode of traveling the world. We chat about about making bonds while traveling, about homecomings, and about …

1
David Eimer on Burma and Travel Literature 32:46

2y ago32:46

32:46

David Eimer is my guest today. He is the author of two books, The Emperor Far Away: Travels at the Edge of China and A Savage Dreamland: Journeys in Burma, the latter of which we talk about today.We start off this episode talking about Burma, its politics, and its peoples. But about halfway, we shift gears and chat about travel literature. Specific…

1
Shafik Meghji and “Crossed Off the Map: Travels in Bolivia” 30:16

2y ago30:16

30:16

Joining me today is Shafik Meghji, and we’re talking about his new book Crossed Off The Map: Travels in Bolivia (Latin America Bureau 2022), which, as the name implies, treats the author’s many years of travels to and work in Bolivia, a country that is off the tourist radar.We talk about the indigenous languages spoken in the country, the history o…

1
Nicholas Jubber and “The Fairy Tellers” 39:16

2y ago39:16

39:16

Joining me again today is Nicholas Jubber and we’re talking about his newest book The Fairy Tellers, which follows several fairy tales—their origins and evolutions—and explores the people who originally told them. As you’ll hear, fairy tales (like all stories) are rooted deeply in place. Of course we talk about some fairy tales themselves, but we a…

1
Marcia DeSanctis and “A Hard Place to Leave” 44:15

2y ago44:15

44:15

Joining me today is Marcia DeSanctis. And we’re talking about A Hard Place to Leave, a collection of stories that covers the last decade of her travel writing career. In addition to her book, we also talk about finding one’s writing voice, stories vs essays in the travel context, and the difficult task of putting together and pitching a collection …

1
Rebecca Lowe and “The Slow Road to Tehran” 40:46

2+ y ago40:46

40:46

Joining me today is Rebecca Lowe and we’re talking about The Slow Road to Tehran: A Revelatory Bike Ride Through Europe and the Middle East, her debut book. The book documents her 11,000-kilometer bicycle journey through Europe to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, and finally to Iran.Don’t let the “Slow” in its title fool you. It is a fast-pac…

1
The Worst Journey in the World with Sara Wheeler and Jonathan Chatwin 33:01

2+ y ago33:01

33:01

Today I’m speaking with Sara Wheeler and Jonathan Chatwin about Apsley Cherry-Garrard’s The Worst Journey in the World, a book that is often cited as one of the most important travel books of the 20th century. This year marks the centenary of the book’s publication.My first guest today, Sara Wheeler, knows a thing or two about Antarctica and Apsley…

1
Letter to a Stranger with Colleen Kinder 47:34

2+ y ago47:34

47:34

Joining me today is Colleen Kinder. She’s the editor of the online literary journal Off Assignment and she has a new book out. The book is called Letter To A Stranger: Essays To The Ones Who Haunt Us (Algonquin 2022). It is a volume of essays from her journal’s flagship column “Letter to a Stranger.” It's a wonderful anthology packed with 65 essays…

1
The Best British Travel Writing of the 21st Century with Jess Vincent 27:37

2+ y ago27:37

27:37

Joining me today is Jessica Vincent who, along with Monisha Rajesh, Simon Willmore, and Levison Wood, edited a volume of essays called The Best British Travel Writing of the 21st Century (Summersdale 2022). I ask Jess what makes the “best” travel writing, anyway? And we talk about how the pandemic reshaped our approach to travel and how it helped r…

1
Mad Travelers and Self-Publishing Essay Collections with Dave Seminara 36:31

2+ y ago36:31

36:31

Joining me today is Dave Seminara. His newest book, Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth, tells the story of William Baekeland, an alleged con artist who offered to help extreme travelers reach some of the world’s most remote frontiers. Now this book is much more than an exposé on William; it offer…

1
Live Event with Colin Thubron and Tharik Hussain at Stanfords, London on March 2, 2022 1:30

2+ y ago1:30

1:30

This is just a quick announcement to say that in celebration of the 2022 Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards, I’ll be in Stanfords’ London bookstore on March 2 speaking with Colin Thubron and Tharik Hussain about their award-nominated books and about genre of travel writing. We will be also be joined by special guest Monisha Rajesh. After the con…

1
Travel Photography with Nori Jemil 42:48

2+ y ago42:48

42:48

Joining me today is Nori Jemil. Her book, The Travel Photographer’s Way (Bradt 2021), was nominated for the 2022 Edward Stanford Travel Photography Book of the Year. In this conversation, we do talk about her book. But, as you’ll hear, the conversation quickly becomes a deluge of helpful advice about photography. And we only scratch the surface her…

1
An Indian Among Los Indigenas with Ursula Pike 34:40

2+ y ago34:40

34:40

Joining me today is Ursula Pike. In the mid 1990s, Ursula boarded a plane to Bolivia and began her term of service in the Peace Corps. A member of the Karuk Tribe, Pike expected to make meaningful connections with other Indigenous people around the world. But her experiences forced her to question her assumptions about the world.Ursula wrote about …

1
Travel Writing in the Age of Global Quarantine with Gary Fisher and David Robinson 40:48

2+ y ago40:48

40:48

Joining me today are Gary Fisher and David Robinson, two historians who recently edited a new volume of essays called Travel Writing in the Age of Global Quarantine (purchase here). Gary and David are historians and this episode touches on some of the academic debates about the genre of travel writing. If this conversation interests you, I recommen…

1
Cal Flyn on Genre, Form, and Islands of Abandonment 32:05

2+ y ago32:05

32:05

Cal Flyn. Photo by Rebecca Marr.Cal Flyn joins me today to talk about her newest book, Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape (Viking 2021), which is one of my top books of the year.In addition to talking about her book, Cal and I chat about genre, form, and the first person in nature and travel writing. Connect with …

1
Pedalling to Kailash with Graydon Hazenberg 39:34

2+ y ago39:34

39:34

Graydon Hazenberg (right) and his cycling companions.Joining me today is Graydon Hazenberg. In 1998, Graydon, his twin sisters, and a friend rode bicycles for nearly four months from Islamabad to Mount Kailash in Tibet. He wrote about his adventure in his new travelogue, Pedalling to Kailash: Cycling Adventures and Misadventures Across the Roof of …

1
Wales, Homesickness, & “The Long Field” with Pamela Petro 43:14

2+ y ago43:14

43:14

Joining me today is Pamela Petro. We’re talking about her new memoir, The Long Field, which was published by Little Toller Books this year.We talk about her experiences in Wales and the Welsh word hiraeth, one of the book’s central ideas. We also dig into the rocky terrain of homesickness, longing, and memoir. On the topic of memoir, we talk about …

1
The Magdalena River, Storytelling, & Community with Jordan Salama 27:04

2+ y ago27:04

27:04

Joining me today is Jordan Salama. We’re talking about his debut book, Every Day the River Changes: Four Weeks Down the Magdalena, which was published November 16, 2021. We talk about the Magdalena River, of course, but we also talk about people who live along it and storytelling. We also talk about the future of travel writing, de-centering the se…

1
Bonus Episode: A Conversation with J.R. Patterson, Freelance Travel Writer and Book Reviewer 40:51

2+ y ago40:51

40:51

In this bonus episode, I’m speaking with J.R. Patterson. James is a freelance writer, and he also reviews books for Travel Writing World. In this episode, we talk about his approach to reviewing travel books and his article on Hidden Compass, where he recounts his experiences and failures traveling down the São Francisco River in Brazil. Check out …

1
Minarets in the Mountains with Tharik Hussain 51:56

2+ y ago51:56

51:56

Joining me today is Tharik Hussain. We’re talking about his debut book, Minarets in the Mountains: A Journey into Muslim Europe, which was published in June 2021 by Bradt and nominated for the Baille Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction.In addition to chatting about his new book, we talk about dominant historical narratives, colonial cruft in travel liter…

1
A Thing of Beauty: Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece with Peter Fiennes 27:48

2+ y ago27:48

27:48

Joining me today is Peter Fiennes. Peter and I spoke last year about his book Footnotes, which was shortlisted for the Stanford Doleman Travel Book of the Year. Now he’s back with a new book called A Thing of Beauty: Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece (Oneworld 2021).In addition to introducing us to his new book, we talk about Lord Byron, ideas …

1
Bonus Episode: A Conversation with Amanda Kendle, Host of the Thoughtful Travel Podcast 49:42

3y ago49:42

49:42

Today I’m speaking with Amanda Kendle, who is the host of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast. While The Thoughtful Travel Podcast and this podcast mostly run on parallel tracks (her podcast dealing with ethical issues related to travel), they are running in the same direction and, sometimes, converge. At one of these intersections is a travel book club …

1
The End of an Era: The Last Best American Travel Writing with Jason Wilson 31:59

3y ago31:59

31:59

Joining me again is Jason Wilson. As you know, Jason has been the series editor of the yearly The Best American Travel Writing anthology for the last 2 decades. Though, as you’ll hear us discuss today, this year’s volume (2021) is the last. Of course, we discuss and speculate on the reasons this is the last volume. And we also talk about what Ameri…

1
Walking and Writing with Robert Martineau 34:06

3y ago34:06

34:06

Joining me today is Robert Martineau. We’re talking about his new book Waypoints: A Journey on Foot, which was published in April 2021 by Jonathan Cape.In his book, as you’ll hear us mention, Rob goes on a 1,000-mile walk through Ghana, Togo, and Benin. So we chat about his walk, escaping from a life of routine in a big city, the liberating and tra…

1
The Amur River and Aging with Colin Thubron 25:04

3y ago25:04

25:04

Joining me again today is Colin Thubron. We’re talking about his most recent book The Amur River: Between Russia and China, which will be published on 21 September 2021.We talk about the Amur River, of course, and its role in Sino-Russian relations, Colin’s 1,100-mile journey along the the river’s various incarnations across Mongolia, Russia, and C…

1
Penguins and Photography Projects with Charles Bergman 38:05

3y ago38:05

38:05

Joining me today is Charles Bergman a writer and photographer who sought to document all 18 species of penguin in his most recent book, Every Penguin in the World. His new book is more than just a photo-book - it has a narrative component about his photographic mission. Now, photography and animals are not topics we’ve covered too much on the show,…

1
Along the Amber Route with CJ Schuler 42:40

3y ago42:40

42:40

CJ SchulerJoining me today is CJ Schuler, whose most recent book, Along the Amber Route, was nominated for the Stanford Doleman Travel Book of the Year in 2021. Like last episode, we recorded this one back in early 2021 before the award announcement. We talk about the amber trade routes in Europe and some touch points in the history of amber in Eur…

1
The Lost Pianos of Siberia with Sophy Roberts 48:32

3y ago48:32

48:32

Sophy Roberts and Siberia by Michael Turek Joining me today is Sophy Roberts, whose most recent book The Lost Pianos of Siberia was nominated for the Stanford Doleman Travel Book of the Year 2021. We recorded this episode back in March, before the award announcement (sorry for the massive delay, Sophy!), but the conversation is still fresh. We talk…

1
Laurie Lee’s “As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning” with Jessica Vincent 1:01:27

3y ago1:01:27

1:01:27

Laurie LeeFew conversations about Patrick Leigh Fermor’s book A Time of Gifts happen without mentioning As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee. Lee’s book, also an account of a European walk, was published before Paddy’s book. They’re similar, but quite different. In today’s episode, Jessica Vincent joins me to talk about Laurie Lee an…

1
Patrick Leigh Fermor’s “A Time of Gifts” with Artemis Cooper, Nick Hunt, and Colin Thubron 1:01:30

3y ago1:01:30

1:01:30

Patrick Leigh Fermor - Δημήτρης Παπαδήμος, CC BY-SA 3.0June marked the 10-year anniversary of Patrick Leigh Fermor’s passing, and next month John Murray Press is re-publishing his best-known book A Time of Gifts under a new imprint called “Journeys.” Joining me today is Artemis Cooper, who speaks about about Patrick Leigh Fermor and his work. Artem…

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