In last month's newsletter, I wrote about my ambitions to both travel more and document those travels more regularly and skillfully. I've kept travel journals for many years:

Some notes about these journals: All in the top row are in Moleskine Cahier blank books. These are thin enough that I can usually fill them up in a week or ten days, and they are light and small enough to be portable while big enough to not feel cramped. But the thin paper is not great for watercolor. The first one on the next row is Field Sketchbook, with heavier paper, smaller in size but with a lot more pages (and a ribbon bookmark and elastic closure, which I love!). The middle one is a landscape oriented watercolor sketchbook whose brand I can't recall. Great for watercolors, but not great for writing (partly because I didn't want to "waste" watercolor paper with words). I couldn't keep up with painting while on this trip, which was jam-packed, so I ended up writing daily in a Moleskine Cahier and then I did watercolors from photos after we returned and summarized my notes from each day into a single page. It took two years. The third is a handmade blank booklet, about half the size of a Cahier, which I bought at a farmer's market in Charlottetown maybe the second day of our trip.

My mode of travel journaling is always to write a lot and put in sketches and ephemera in varying amounts. I really do love my past travel journals, especially seeing them laid out together like this. But I also want to up my game--more and better illustrations, more on-the-spot sketching (rather than after-the-fact), neatly lettered headings (since neat handwriting is probably too much to hope for at this point).

In preparation for a trip to Quebec City in August, I watched several online videos on travel journaling and urban sketching from Amy Stewart's newsletter It's Good to Be Here and The Piegeon Letters. I spent quite a lot of time looking for the right journal and assembling my kit.

I ended up with a very small (about 4.5 x 7 inch) book by Clairefontaine that has about 40 pages (of thin paper). I also picked up a pack of Tombow dual brush pens--and then a second pack, because I realized the first one didn't have a blue--as well as an Ivy photo printer (it makes the cutest little stickers of phone photos!). In addition, I brought many pens, two sets of colored pencils, a ruler, a glue stick, washi tape, a set of Vivia Colrosheets watercolors and water brush, two binder clips, a pencil sharpener, a kneaded eraser, two pencils, a white gel pen, and an envelope for ephemera. Plus a small shoulder bag for toting *some* of the supplies with me when we were out and about. 

​I brought *way* more stuff than I needed, and most of it stayed in the hotel room. 

The first photo shows roughly what I brought with me each day (minus the Ivy and the glue stick--those stayed back at the hotel), and the second photo shows what I brought in my backpack on our last day when we visited Montmorancy Falls.

I still did a lot of writing (that's not gonna change), and did most of my journaling in the evening when we returned to the hotel room. (It was hot as blazes the whole time we were there, so we usually declared defeat and retreated to cold showers and A/C by 6:30 p.m. This gave me plenty of time to document the day's events while C watched TV. Only once did we head back out into the inferno for dinner.)

I did manage to do *some* on-the-spot sketching: the street lights and wine glass in the second row (photos 1 and 3); the St. Laurence River from the quay on Île d'Orleans (third row, third picture), a spot in a formal garden where we stopped to rest and pretend the shade offered some respite (fourth row, middle picture), and Montmorancy Falls, which I sketched while we waited in line for a gondola ride to the top (sixth row, middle picture). 

New things I tried:

• Tombow pens: fun and more convenient than watercolors but not the color range.
• Lettering: still needs some work but much better than past efforts.
• Photo stickers: so fun! 
• Collage: also fun!

Thins I want to work on next:

• More sketching on site.
• Keep practicing 1-point perspective!
• Page layout.
• A more streamlined kit.

Is this really all I read in August? I feel sure there should be more, but I don't know what and I don't know where they are! I think I started a lot of books that were on the slow side, or not what I was really in the mood for, and set them aside. As a result, this will be quick!

Nonfiction
I'm a big fan of Lia Purpura's pregnancy/birth/early motherhood memoir Increase. I reread it this month as part of a project I'm working on, along with two of her more recent essay collections, On Looking and Rough Likenesses. I found both of these a lot more challenging. Purpura is also a poet, and her poetic sensibilities are strong in these lyric essays, and they leave me craving a lot more detail and explanation. 

Fiction
I pick up Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness books whenever I see them at used bookstores, and as a result I'm reading them wildly out of order, but it's not too hard to orient oneself in the stories, and they're always great fun, including this one, Crowned and Dangerous. Also fun was this debut mystery novel by Harini Nagendra, The Bangalore Detectives Club. I loved reading about India in the 1920s and all of the cultural turmoil and political intrigue. Turns out Nagendra's first two books were about trees and nature, and so I find in her a kindred spirit of nature writer/crime writer.

Next month's pile is going to be much taller. I've read some more books for research and I've delved back into a series that is my teddy bear/macaroni and cheese--i.e., my comfort read--and I'm already on the fifth one! I'm actually a little embarrassed about it and might not even mention it in this month's post...

Now that September's here, I'm feeling that annual back-to-school energy: an urge to get organized and get going on some writing projects, new and old. Are you feeling the same? If so, I've got a slew of in-person writing workshops coming up, just for you! Whether you want to wander in the woods and write and sketch about your experiences or you want to sit down in the classroom and plan that book you've been dying to write, I've got you covered. The first two are free but require registration; the third is a bargain. Hit the link in the class title to learn more and sign up.

Nature Writing in the Field. River Brook Preserve, Waldoboro, ME,
Saturday, September 20, 10 am - Noon
Join Maine Master Naturalist Andrea Lani as we take our notebooks outdoors and seek inspiration in the natural world. Exploring River Brook Preserve, we'll engage in exercises designed to hone our observation skills and sharpen all of our senses. We’ll then observe an element of the natural world closely, working our way from description to metaphor, from metaphor to memory, and from memory to emotion. Through this process, we'll each generate a short poem or vignette and come away with a practice for close observation and writing that can be used anywhere. We’ll be outside the whole time, so dress for the weather, be prepared for ticks and bugs, and bring snacks and water. Please bring a journal or notebook and pencil or pen. You may also want a sit pad or small, portable camp chair.

Nature Journaling: Story Mapping, Hidden Vally Nature Center, Jefferson, ME,
​Saturday, October 4, 10 a.m - Noon
Join Maine Master Naturalist Andrea Lani as we explore Hidden Valley Nature Center and create story maps that depict our journey. Our illustrated story maps will depict the route we travel, interesting features we encounter, and events that occur along the way. We'll hike from the parking lot, around Crossbill Loop, and along Warbler Way, creating our story maps as we go. By noticing and recording the sights, sounds, and moments that draw our attention, we'll sharpen our observation skills and deepen our connection to the natural world. When we arrive at the barn, we'll spend some time at the picnic tables refining our maps, adding details and color, and sharing our creations. The program will end at noon at the barn, so please factor in an extra five to ten minutes to walk back to the parking lot. We’ll be outside the whole time, so dress for the weather, be prepared for ticks and bugs, and bring snacks and water. Please bring a journal or paper and clipboard and pencil or pen. The instructor will provide colored pencils and basic watercolors.

Blueprint for a Book: Plan Your Novel or Memoir. Kennebec Neighbors Adult Education, Gardiner, Maine
Tuesdays, October 7 - 28, 6 - 8 pm, $100
Do you have a story that you’ve always wanted to turn into a novel or memoir? In this workshop, we’ll take your dreams and set them on the road to reality. Over the course of three weeks, writer and Author Accelerator-certified book coach Andrea Lani will guide you into your deep-level why of writing your book, help you articulate the point your novel will make or the question your memoir will answer, and lead you in constructing the sturdy tripod of setting, character, and plot on which to rest your narrative. You’ll complete the course with an outline that will set you on the path to writing your best book. Please bring a pen and notebook or laptop to each class.