When we were at TBEX '09, the Travel Blog Exchange conference last month, we met so many wonderful travel writers (many of whom have already appeared on our site). We were impressed with Rosalind Cummings-Yeates, who spoke on one of the panels about traditional travel journalism vs. travel blogging.
I'd love to introduce our readers to Rosalind and her sites. Her blog is chock-full of great articles on travel all around the world. However, her articles on Caribbean culture are something special. Rosalind has a way of sharing the every day and the extraordinary, and making each one seem special. From fantastic meals to music, from books to history, this site covers it all. Each time I visit, I spend lots of time exploring travel, cuisine, fashion, tourist activities, travel tips, world music, and my favorite, books! Rosalind is the real deal in the travel blogosphere - someone who can truly SHARE the essence of a place with their readers.
We were lucky enough to sit down and talk with Rosalind, about her site, arts journalism, travel writing, and more. Here's what she had to say...
WE: Please tell us about your site,
http://www.rosalindcummingsyeates.blogspot.com/...
RCY: My blog explores my adventures as a travel writer from a cultural
perspective. I examine the history, food, music, art, fashion and sometimes
literature of a place. I believe that culture is the most authentic way to
leran about a destination. My posts include musings on specific
experiences I've had while traveling as well as music, book and restaurant
reviews that represent different cultures.
WE: What inspired you to start your site?
RCY: My site, www.rosalindcummingsyeates.com, is a display of my work as a
writer and arts critic. I started the site as an easy way for editors to
access my work. The blog is an extention of that, while also providing me
unbelievable connections in the blogosphere.
WE: What can readers expect to find, on your site?
RCY: My posts mostly examine my travels through the Caribbean and Lain
America with some domestic trips also featured. Because I'm also a music
critic, I'll often write about significant musical icons passing, like
Maririam Makeba, Koko Taylor and Michael Jackson in the past year. I'll
also discuss cultural issues as they relate to the Caribbean or Latin
America, like the recent Derek Wolcott and Oxford University controversy.
WE: You cover the arts in a variety of venues - what attracts you to this? Where do you share this coverage? Why is arts journalism so important?
RCY: I worked as an arts critic, reviewing theater, music, fine art, fashion,
restaraunts and literature, long before I became a travel writer. I've
always been enthralled by all aspects of the arts and believe that they are
vitally important to humanity. They can break down barriers of language,
culture and history easier than any political or social policy. I write
arts criticism for a variety of publicatiions and sometimes repost or link
my reviews. I believe that arts journalism is important because it helps
break down how and why a particular artist or genre is important to a
specific era or group.
WE: You're also a journalism professor. How has journalism changed with the
increase of people using the internet?
RCY: Journalism has changed on so many levels over the last 5 years. The
dismantling of so many print publications is partly the result of the
popularity of the web. People no longer rely on newspapers or magazines
for reliable, in-depth news coverage. This has greatly affected the way we
teach journalism. It's no longer a given that the first job out of school
will be as a reporter at a newspaper or an editorial assistant at a
magazine. Many more opportunities are online so we are teaching skills that
they will need to compete online-blogging, digital photography, html
skills. It's no longer just about who, what, why, how and where although
that is still the foundation of journalism education.
WE: How has travel - and travel writing - changed in the last 20 years? What
do you predict for the future?
RCY: Travel and travel writing has really changed over the last 20 years. We
are truly living in a global society now and the opportunities to explore
the earth have become more accessible. You no longer have to be wealthy or
possess a leisurely lifestyle to travel extensively thanks to lower airline
travel costs and more frequent schedules. Travel writing like journalism
as a whole, has also been affectd by the web. Guidebooks and travel
magazines are no longer the only outlets, travel blogging and web
publications have introduced a myriad of exciting voices and experiences
that were never heard before.
WE: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
RCY: What I love most about traveling is experiencing mundane activities like shopping or going to the library, from a totally new perspective. Buying
fresh guava and papya from a beachfront market in Brazil or browsing a
library that's lined with Caribbean classics in Antigua opens up new ideas
and fresh possibilities for me. And I like to take my readers along for the
ride so they can experience it too.
WE: Thanks so much, Rosalind! I've long enjoyed your site and am glad to
learn the history behind it!
For more information, please see:
http://www.RosalindCummingsYeates.com
Blog: Farsighted Fly Girl - http://www.rosalindcummingsyeates.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @FarsightedGirl