LiteraryTraveler.net

It’s been a brutal winter for many of us.  Cold and snowy, icy and slippery.  As I write this post, heavy wet snowflakes, though delightful and beautiful, descend upon my area of the world.  Forecasters predict it will snow until tomorrow with accumulations of up to one foot of the hard-to-shovel white stuff.

I’m not a hot weather person, as many people are.  I tend to stay out of the sun, a fear of wrinkles since I’m now over 30.  However, it’s been such a harsh winter, I’ve been dreaming of sunny days, vivid colors, the salty ocean.  A margarita or a tortilla on the beach.  It doesn’t matter because I am finding myself, like many other of our literary travelers, craving for that golden ball in the sky.

Maybe that’s why I chose our latest series of Mexico articles?  Or perhaps it was the fact I had such a good time in Mexico when I visited there – the warm people who suffered through my terrible Spanish, the delicious street food that I never got sick from once, the colorful festiveness on every street corner.

Whatever the motivation, I’m happy to introduce our Mexican series, complete with three inspiring articles about Mexican literary travels and an interview with Peggy Stevens Falkenstein, Mexican travel writer.

Frances Calderon de la Barca: Life in Mexico

Chasing a Phantom in San Miguel de Allende: Beat Inspiration Neal Cassady

Edward Abbey Desert Solitaire in the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve

Peggy Stevens Falkenstein: Tying Loose Ends in Mexico

Stay warm and explore your literary imagination in sunny Mexico!

Jennifer, Network Editorial Director

Would you travel using a guidebook that is over 150 years old? Probably not, but if that “guidebook” was Frances Calderon de la Barca’s Life in Mexico, you would still be in good hands.

In our newest feature article, Frances Calderon de la Barca: Life in Mexico, author Inka Piegsa-Quischotte ventures to Mexico for a wedding, following the footsteps of the tenacious Frances Calderon de la Barca.

When her husband was appointed ambassador to Mexico in 1842, the Scottish-born Frances followed, determined to vividly recreate her experiences in the foreign country for her friends and family. The compilation of her letters, Life in Mexico, was considered accurate enough to be used as a guide for American Officers during the Mexican War in 1847!

In Mexico, Inka finds that Frances’ words still ring true. In the same spirit as Frances, Inka journeys to Mexico with an open mind and a desire to share the sights, smells, and tastes of the country.

As a result, her adventures give us a little glimpse of “Life in Mexico” today!