… it’s happening again.

Strange Travel Suggestions returns to The Marsh Berkeley, July 29th – August 27th. Fridays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 5 pm. We sold out almost the entire run in January and February, and I’m hoping for a summer simmer! The Marsh has a new ticket service, so please click on the name of the show to get to the site for tix, reviews and other information.

Jeff at the Marsh  (video)

And check out the video link! It’s short (less than four minutes) but sweet. Fundamentalist Christian advisory: This video contains agnostic material.

It’s feast or famine during this particular reincarnation, and early  June — the two weeks before my departure for Cuba — will bring a host of performances and speaking engagements. We stir it up on Wednesday, June 1st, with “Spinning the Globe:” an evening of travel tales (and tales of how to write travel tales) at the Oakland Public Library at 6 pm (yeah, you’ve got to scroll waaay down). Just two days later — on Friday, June 3rd — it’s “What Went Wrong?,” an evening of storytelling at the Mill Valley Public Library. I get to share the stage with the beguiling Joyce Maynard, the legendary Naomi Newman, and several wonderful others. Finally, on Thursday June 9th, I return to the Mill Valley Library — this time solo, for a one-night performance of Strange Travel Suggestions! (No wheel for this gig; I’m using a tattered and mysterious Balinese gab-bag.) Both MV events begin at 7 pm. And all three events are free Free FREE, so please bring all your friends!

ps – If you haven’t already, get up to Point Reyes for the gorgeous wildflowers!

… with me. Which usually means I do most of the talking. But hey, that’s what you’re paying your $5 for! This event, happening on Thursday 4/28 at Books Inc. (in the SF Marina),  is hosted by my friend Tara Russell—a career vagabond and the inspiration behind  “Three Month Visa” coaching and consulting. Come and enjoy an evening of snaky travel tales, Q&A and other verbal fare at the SF Travel Book Club and Lectures Series this Thursday!

If you miss that event, you’ll have to wait a whole month… I’ll be speaking at the Oakland Public Library on Wednesday, June 1st.

A gleeful pair of announcements for my fellow Wanderers and Fools! The New Year will begin with two wonderful opportunities to join me, as a traveling companion, on journeys long and short.

The first is an actual adventure in Nepal, my second home since 1979. In late February 2011 I will lead a two-week trip to the former kingdom, arranged by Ethical Traveler and Global Exchange. Dreams of Kathmandu—An Intimate Visit to the Sacred Valley will explore the cultural highlights of a city I love like no other. This is an opportunity for a small group of people to see a side of Nepal invisible to most tourists. Co-led by renowned photographer Thomas Kelly, “Dreams” will thrill anyone with a passion for the arts, a desire to meet great Asian thinkers, and a curiosity about the world’s newest republic. Sign on soon, as the trip must close in mid-January! (Big discounts for Ethical Traveler supporting members.)

Next—after a two-year hiatus — Strange Travel Suggestions is returning to The Marsh! Get your tickets now for the latest avatar of my ever-changing solo show, presented The Marsh Cabaret in Berkeley (just two blocks from the University BART station). This is the first run of Strange Travel since it sold out The Marsh San Francisco in 2008!  I’m also teaching a “page-to-stage” performance class. Journeys for the Stage: Finding Your Inner Marco Polo will meet on three Saturdays starting January 8th, and is limited to 12 people. Thinking of turning your travel stories into monologues? This is the time to begin!

So there you have it. Two irresistible ways to get off your butt and see the world. That is your Number One New Years’ resolution, isn’t it??

So here it is…. The schedule for my upcoming readings and gatherings for Snake Lake! All events are in 2010, unless it says otherwise. Starting times not yet listed will be posted as I learn them, so do check back.

Friday 10/22, 7:30 pm – Launch Party at Book Passage, Corte Madera,
hosted by Travel Writer Conference chair Don George! HUGE SUCCESS! Thanks everyone!!

Tuesday, 10/26, 7 pm – Books Inc., Berkeley Great night! Thank you Berkeley!
Thursday 10/28, 7:30 pm – Booksmith, San Francisco
Monday, 11/1, 7 pm – Left Coast Writers, Book Passage Corte Madera
Thursday, 11/4, 7 pm – Diesel Books, Oakland
Friday, 11/5, 7 pm – Book Soup, Los Angeles
Monday, 11/8, 7:30 pm – Distant Lands, Pasadena
Wednesday, 11/10, 6 – 7:30 pm – Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, NY
Thursday, 11/11, 7 pm – Book Revue, Huntington, NY
Saturday, 11/13, 2:00 pm – Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library, NY
Thursday, 11/18 – 7:30 pm – Powells’ Books (Hawthorne), Portland, OR
Sunday, 11/21, 6:30 pm – Wagner Family Fires, Alameda, CA

*  *  *

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon.com: Snake Lake. A very limited number of hardcovers will be produced, so get them while you can!

Friends! Please Join me on Saturday June 19th for The MARSH’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE MARATHON. It runs from noon to midnight with 11 hours of performances, a late-night party and day-long hijinks (in The Marsh Café). I will be performing a 12-minute piece (give or take a couple of hours) during the 2-hour segment that runs from 4-6 pm — a slot I share with Dan Hoyle, Wayne Harris, Mark Kenward and McGoldrick. Yeow!! An all-star line-up! For the full schedule and to buy tix (they’re $20) go to The Marsh Marathon.

Sunday, June 6th, 2010 – For those of you who aren’t already addicted, check out Glynn Washington’s Snap Judgment — it’s the most inventive new storytelling show on NPR. I’m privileged to be a part of this show, which is filming a live TV show (at least I think it’s live) on June 6th at San Francisco’s Brava Theater. The show runs from 5 pm – 8 pm, with a reception afterwards, and you can order tickets (they’re cheap!) and get directions here. If you can’t make the event, visit the Snap J website and listen to what Glynn means by “storytelling with a beat.”

January 17th, 2010, 7 pm – I’ll appear for a reading at Book Passage in Corte Madera — along with Travel writers Millicent Susens, Carol Beddo and Ken Matesow. We’re all featured in Best Travel Writing: True Stories from Around the World, 2009 ($17.95). “High adventure, spiritual growth, romance, hilarity, misadventure, service to humanity, and encounters with exotic cuisine highlight these stories from fellow travelers.” I’ll read an excerpt from my story about taking my mother to India for her 75th birthday. An exotic Sunday excursion!

October 17th, 2009 - San Francisco’s 10th Annual Litquake Festival continues with the notorious Lit Crawl (one word or two??), featuring local writers at local bars. I’ll be part of the Travel Writers’ event (oddly named “Glamorous in Retrospect”), and will perform at the Liberties Irish Bar & Restaurant at 998 Guerrero, on the corner of 22nd Street in the Mission. Those of you who came to see Strange Travel Suggestions last summer may remember this bar; it’s where we hung out after every show. Other writers will include Pamela Alma Bass, Laurie McAndish King, and my long-time colleague Don George.

September 12th, 2009 – I am utterly delighted to announce Ethical Traveler’s First Annual Fundraiser: a Saturday afternoon of sailing, comedy, music, and supper! Entertainment will include the brilliant monologist Josh Kornbluth, didjeridoo master (and KPFA “Music of the World” host) Stephen Kent, and myself. There will also be an amazing auction, featuring — among other things — a biplane tour of the Bay Area, sailing lessons for two, and – wait for it – breakfast in bed with Mary Roach, including a signed 1st edition of her best-selling Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (no, the winner will not get a chance to couple with Ms. Roach. This is pajamas-only opportunity). A ticket for the full event, which includes a three-hour schooner sail around San Francisco Bay, is only $100. Supper and entertainment only, $50. Please register as soon as you can at this link to the ET Sail and Supper. See you there!