The Best American Travel Writing 2021

The Best American Travel Writing 2021 | Padma Lakshmi, Jason Wilson

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I will definitely be looking into other entries in this series, and similar collections of travel essays. While this year may have proved somewhat exceptional in its content due to the various upheavals happening in 2020/2021, it provided a broad range of voices and perspectives, not all focused on the doom and gloom of the pandemic, and other crises. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Given the variety involved, I've included my impressions of each essay in the collection below.
From what I can tell all the articles featured appeared elsewhere first, so hopefully the title and author will let you find them individually if desired.
1mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? Inside the Nightmare Voyage of the Diamond Princess by Doug Bock Clark - Writing is a little sensationalist for my taste, but it's certainly important that the story is out there, for all the ways people can learn from the mistakes and injustices and do better in the future. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? Mississippi: A Poem, In Days by Kiese Makeba Laymon - Disappointment, disillusionment, the attempt to act right when many are not, kind of full face back into the early days of COVID, reader beware. 1mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? The Warmth of a Lost World by Leslie Jamison - Sensual descriptions, addressing western perception of Turkish baths, author's experience of American and Istanbul versions of Turkish baths, sharing space with strangers, the loss of such an experience during quarantine, the vulnerability and openness conveyed by shared nudity, the contrast of pain and pleasure, hot and cold, changing to the baths as an activity after getting sober.
1mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/? *Really liked the writing

To the Swimmer in the Borneo Rainforest by Meghan Gunn - Powerful 4 pages.

I Decided to Leave by Meghan Daum - Puppy!
1mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/? The New York You Once Knew is Gone. The One You Loved Remains. by Glynnis MacNicol - Strange to have read two memoirs by this woman, to have picked up this collection because an essay by her was included, only to find that it didn't really feel like she said anything of note, or maybe just nothing I hadn't already read from her before? 🤷🏼‍♂️ 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 8/? Good Bread by Bill Buford - The warmth and simple comfort of bread, contrasted with a quietly heart-breaking story of loss.

Food, It Turns Out, Has Little to Do With Why I Travel by Noah Galuten - Restaurant business, experience of food and travelling for it, found greatly enhanced by human connections, tone of quiet reverence. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 9/? The People of Las Vegas by Amanda Fortini - Unsurprising perhaps considering the year in question, but it never occurred to me that depending on your origin, people could write about where they are, not travel, and it would still be something new to read about, a new place seen.
Some of the issues with travel writing, journalists dropping in and shoring up cliches with first impressions.
*Really liked the writing 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 10/? In the City of Saints by Sarah Khan - Floored by how well 2 1/2 page essay was laid out - got a feel for the author, the city in question, the significance, the features. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 11/? Reindeer at the End of the World by Bathsheba Demuth - Sense of apocalypse no excuse for apathy, Soviet Union version of socialism/communism bad for everyone (I'd still argue it's not the best example of either ideology in practice), attempts to 'civilise' an indigenous population in the rush to exploit the resources they depend upon for survival apparently not just a Western thing. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 12/? Senegal's Beating Heart by Jim Benning - Felt a little rushed to cover the extent of the subject matter engaged with, but hit on some salient points, how music can form the core of travel, the way to see a new place, to have expectations challenged. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 13/? Five Oceans, Five Deeps by Ben Taub - Adventure! It's hard to see past the 'millionaire who wants to explore devotes ridiculous amount of resources to personal journey' narrative, or submarine follies for that matter, without wanting to roll your eyes these days, but insofar as there is a crew of interesting characters, and some scientific discoveries made along the way, I had a good time with this one.
*The writing engaged me in a way that 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 14/? feels rare, and I like to see in non-fiction essays.

Water or Sky? by Meg Bernhard - I see that there is travel, that it's somewhat written to have travel as a framework, but I think it's easy to argue this is not a travel writing piece, as the focus is the loss of loved ones, dealing with grief, mental health and death by drowning. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 15/? California's Weed Country is Lit by Jackie Bryant - The devastation of large fires on California agriculture and its workers, but from a cannabis industry perspective.
1mo

Robotswithpersonality 16/? Youtopia by Carrie Battan - Elite community vibes, wellness market, (which leaves a bad taste in my mouth, lots of things to charge people a bundle for), makes me sceptical; at the end of it all, it's not a scale-able model, it's a living situation few can afford. Basically fully agree with author's assessment. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 17/? Can Travel Become an Addiction? by Natalie Stoclet - Kiiiind of pointless; even in four pages, it becomes obvious the author could have just answered 'no' to the title question and been done with it. Exploring what constitutes addiction is somewhat interesting, though something that can only be briefly touched on in an essay of this size. Underlining the reality that travelling to avoid life just means dealing with reality later, not a 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 18/? permanent antidote to suffering, somewhat saves the essay.

On the Complicated Questions Around Writing About Travel by Intan Paramaditha -
Should really be a necessary preface in every travelogue.
The year following intensive quarantine is when many are going to take stock of the costs of travel. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 19/? Out There, Nobody Can Hear You Scream by Latria Graham - Clear-eyed look at racism, white supremacy, how it hampers Black folks' ability to enjoy the outdoors, vulnerable and stressful in relating personal experience, knowledgeable on the history and statistics, ending in a brave entreaty and an offering of support, probably the most important article in the collection. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 20/? The Losing Coast by Elizabeth Miller - Humanity's negative effect on natural environments and its acceleration of climate change, how that is reflected in a specific geographical area, and of course, often hits indigenous, minority populations the hardest. 😑
1mo

Robotswithpersonality 21/? To the Doctor of Bujumbura's Quarantine Hotel by Jina Moore -
This collection really wouldn't be an accurate reflection of 2020/21 travel writing if it didn't have the perspective of one traveller caught somewhere in quarantine. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 22/? A Change in Perspective by Sarah Moss - Learning to love the place you're in, whether you moved because of economics, or your children's future demanded it, or because the pandemic has eliminated your chance for travel. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 23/? Thousand Fields of Grain by Ligaya Mishan - Globalization of early civilizations, via trade and invasion, the nationalistic and minority/religious/ethnic suppressive tendencies of modern China, the story told of distinct and blending cultures in the food of various regions. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 24/? A Fear-Filled Lockdown by Paul Theroux - Didn't enjoy the book I read by this author, so decided to skip his 4 page essay.
1mo

Robotswithpersonality 25/? Wanderlust by Jon Lee Anderson - Relating a story of travel from younger days sourced from old journal entries, pretty classic tale, went to seek adventure and exploit resources to fund an expedition, one in long history of 'pioneers' which again negatively affected an indigenous culture. Thankfully the author's narrative is more respectful, sees more agreeable interactions with indigenous population, though marks how they have historically 1mo

Robotswithpersonality 26/26 been affected. Journey seems a bit scattered, but so does the author as a young man.

⚠️ Attempted assault, loss of (19 year old) child, mental health concerns 1mo

willaful I read the 2021 Best American Food Writing and it was absolutely fascinating. 1mo

Robotswithpersonality @willaful Oooooo, I didn't know/forgot to explore if that variant existed! Will definitely see what my library has to offer for Food Writing. Thanks! 1mo

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