For Immediate Release: March 27, 2007

New Lonely Planet Travel Writer Series Starts April 18

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(Oakland, CA) Oakland Public Library and the Oakland-based travel publisher Lonely Planet invite the public to a third series of free talks with published travel writers who will share their experiences and answer questions. The spring series features four overseas destinations: Morocco, Vietnam, Greece, and China. The talks take place on four Wednesday evenings starting April 18, from 6 to 7:30 pm at the Art/Music/History/Literature Department on the first floor of the Main Library, 125-14th Street. See below for the dates, author names, and topics.

Morocco, April 18
Alison Bing’s first crush was the Sufi poet and whirling dervish Rumi. Though her own career as a dervish didn’t pan out, her expertise in Islamic art, architecture, and political economy are evident in her books, Lonely Planet’s Best of Marrakesh and Morocco.

Vietnam, April 25
Curiosity compelled Wendy Yanigahara to trade a good job for a one-way ticket to Asia. She lived in Ho Chi Minh City for a year, teaching English and reaching new levels of peace and patience. She’s a co-author of Lonely Planet’s Vietnam.

Greece, May 2
Born into a Greek-American community in Ohio, Michael Stamatios Clark first worked his way to Greece as a deck hand aboard a Greek freighter, trading Greek lessons over strong coffee and backgammon. He wrote Lonely Planet’s Greece and The Greek Islands.

Brazil, May 9
In 2002, after two weeks in Brazil, Robert Landon quit his job, sold everything, moved to Copacabana and became fluent in Portuguese. Now with 12 years travel-writing experience, he is co-author of Lonely Planet Brazil, California, Colombia, Portugaland West Africa.  

Books will be for sale at each talk. For more information, call (510) 238-3136, or see the Library's Web site: www.oaklandlibrary.org. Please refrain from wearing scented products. To request sign interpretation, or other accommodation, call the number above or (510) 834-7446 (TTY) at least five working days prior to the event. The Oakland Public Library is a department of the City of Oakland.

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Author Headshots Available by Request