Something to Declare: Good Lesbian Travel Writing

Editor Gillian Kendall has brought together in Something to Declare a collection of impressionistic, literary travel essays that explore the sense of place and the pull of wanderlust, and reveal what happens when a traveler follows her heart. On these pages, established and emerging lesbian travel writers present accounts ranging from the poetic and internal to the exhilarating and life-altering.

    Rather than reporting on places to stay, local fare, or politics, these women share personal stories of exploration and adventure. Lucy Jane Bledsoe and her partner camp out and negotiate their way through the Tierra del Fuego in “Fruits at the Border.” Lesléa Newman’s “Bashert” tells the retrospective journey of a college graduate undergoing a simultaneous awakening of her sexuality and artistic talent while working on a kibbutz in Israel. Lori Soderlind’s “Hot Springs, Montana” describes her return—with the help of a native woman—to the place in Montana where her family once made their home.

    Whether set in Italian changing rooms, a Cadillac hearse, an ashram, a medieval labyrinth, a wheelchair, or a kayak, and whether amid Japanese typhoons, Caribbean rain, or rare Irish sunshine, Something to Declare offers stories of reflection, challenge, and growth. 

Gillian Kendall is a freelance writer who lives in Melbourne, Australia. Her work has appeared in many publications, including The Sun magazine, Glamour, Girlfriends, and Curve. She is author of Mr. Ding’s Chicken Feet and coauthor of How I Became a Human Being, both published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

Acknowledgments   

Introduction   

    Gillian Kendall

Outrageous   

    Sheila Ortiz Taylor (United States)

Oaxaca       

    Suzanne Parker (Mexico)

Not Viva in Las Vegas   

    Kate Lynn Hibbard (United States)

What Happens after This Day       

    Hannah Tennant-Moore (India and United States)

Shopping   

    Lauren Sanders (Italy)

You Can Take Me to the Shrine, but You Can't Make Me Pray       

    Louise A. Blum (Mexico)

Looking for the V   

    Sandra Gail Lambert (United States)

The Gift Shop Is Never Ferme   

    Jane Churchon (France)

Playing with Fire       

    Patty Smith (Senegal)

Five Days in Palm Springs       

    Rebecca Chekouras (United States)

A Friend in America   

    Gillian Kendall (Ireland)

Coyote Autumn   

    Jourdan Imani Keith (United States)

Wind   

    Tzivia Gover (Japan)

Postcard: A Story       

    Ruthann Robson (the Caribbean)

Hot Springs, Montana       

    Lori Soderlind (United States)

Bashert   

    Lesléa Newman (Israel)

Fruits at the Border   

    Lucy Jane Bledsoe (Chile)

Following in Tim's Footsteps       

    Pearlie McNeill (Vietnam)

Bookstore Bound       

    Sima Rabinowitz (United States)

Contributors