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Be There Now: Travel Stories from Around the World
Be There Now is a collection of true travel stories featuring twenty-two contributors who share adventures and escapades from around the world.
The stories include the tale of an amateurish kidnapping in Nicaragua in a story that could have been told by Woody Allen, and a David Sedaris-esque story of two ships passing in a Paris art supply store. Existential stories from a man lost on the flooded Amazon River at night, and from a woman who encounters a grizzly—in the same area where her father and stepmother were killed by a bear. Insightful stories about a woman’s spiritual journey in Peru (complete with hallucinogens!), and about a female journalist’s friendship with an Iraqi translator in Syria. And stories about endangered species in exotic locales, including helping a sea turtle lay its eggs on a Costa Rican beach, and taking a blind man to visit the mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
Be There Now is travel writing at its most authentic—real people sharing real stories of awe and insight, fear and laughter, humility and humanity as they explore the world around us and seek footholds on their own inner journeys. In a world that often demands that we “be here now,” it is nice to take a break, daydream, and “be there now” with thoughtful people who take us with them on journeys that lead to inspiration, insight, humor, and deeper meaning.
Be There Now is part of a series of anthologies of creative nonfiction on various topics from Dream of Things, which strives to publish anthologies that fill the gap between popular collections that can be regarded as "short and sweet," and the Best American Essays series, which tend to be longer-form. The goal for Dream of Things anthologies is to be not short and sweet, but short and deep.
The stories include the tale of an amateurish kidnapping in Nicaragua in a story that could have been told by Woody Allen, and a David Sedaris-esque story of two ships passing in a Paris art supply store. Existential stories from a man lost on the flooded Amazon River at night, and from a woman who encounters a grizzly—in the same area where her father and stepmother were killed by a bear. Insightful stories about a woman’s spiritual journey in Peru (complete with hallucinogens!), and about a female journalist’s friendship with an Iraqi translator in Syria. And stories about endangered species in exotic locales, including helping a sea turtle lay its eggs on a Costa Rican beach, and taking a blind man to visit the mountain gorillas in Rwanda.
Be There Now is travel writing at its most authentic—real people sharing real stories of awe and insight, fear and laughter, humility and humanity as they explore the world around us and seek footholds on their own inner journeys. In a world that often demands that we “be here now,” it is nice to take a break, daydream, and “be there now” with thoughtful people who take us with them on journeys that lead to inspiration, insight, humor, and deeper meaning.
Be There Now is part of a series of anthologies of creative nonfiction on various topics from Dream of Things, which strives to publish anthologies that fill the gap between popular collections that can be regarded as "short and sweet," and the Best American Essays series, which tend to be longer-form. The goal for Dream of Things anthologies is to be not short and sweet, but short and deep.
- GenresTravelNonfictionEssays
182 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
7 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Mike O'Mary
4 books29 followersMike O'Mary is founder of Dream of Things (dreamofthings.com), which publishes memoirs, anthologies of creative nonfiction, and other books. Mike is series editor for Dream of Things anthologies, including Be There Now, a collection of travel stories from around the world, and Saying Goodbye, an anthology of true stories about how we say goodbye to the people, places, and things in our lives.
Mike is also author of The Note and Wise Men and Other Stories, and he has published stories and essays in the Sunday magazines of the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Detroit Free Press. In addition, Mike was a regular commentator on WNIJ – Northern Illinois Public Radio, doing weekly commentaries as part of the local segment of National Public Radio’s "Morning Edition" program. He has also written and produced sketch comedy in Chicago.
Mike is a graduate of Knox College (BA in Economics and English-Writing), the University of Montana (MFA in Creative Writing, MA in English Literature), and the Second City Comedy Writing Program. In addition to his creative work, Mike has more than 20 years of experience in corporate communications, producing speeches, annual reports and other executive communications for many leading corporations.
Mike is also author of The Note and Wise Men and Other Stories, and he has published stories and essays in the Sunday magazines of the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Detroit Free Press. In addition, Mike was a regular commentator on WNIJ – Northern Illinois Public Radio, doing weekly commentaries as part of the local segment of National Public Radio’s "Morning Edition" program. He has also written and produced sketch comedy in Chicago.
Mike is a graduate of Knox College (BA in Economics and English-Writing), the University of Montana (MFA in Creative Writing, MA in English Literature), and the Second City Comedy Writing Program. In addition to his creative work, Mike has more than 20 years of experience in corporate communications, producing speeches, annual reports and other executive communications for many leading corporations.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 4, 2018
Short essays about travel, each by a different author and to a different destination. What is the difference between a traveler and a tourist? Perhaps these essays can help you with that answer.
January 26, 2013
After me initially not liking this book, I wound up really enjoying it.
Full review at my book blog.
Be There Now is an anthology of 22 non-fiction travel stories. The editor describes the book as having two concepts behind it -- to collect essays with a length somewhere between micro-stories and Best American entries, and to give readers a sense of being there, inside the story, instead of here, as a separated reader. After a slow start, the anthology achieves these goals quite well.
Overall, I really loved how anti-traditional-travelogue this collection was as I read it. I love travelogues and read them regularly, but seeing how this one was put together makes me question some of the best ones I've read before. This collection felt like more of an experience than mere reportage; I truly was there instead of here.
The one major gripe I have, beyond the slow start and a desire for a little more geographic diversity, is that the Kindle edition does not come with a table of contents. For an anthology in particular, where you want to be able to easily skip back to individual essays, this is pretty unforgivable. Hopefully the publisher will correct this in later editions. Still, it is worth owning and savoring.
Be There Now is an anthology of 22 non-fiction travel stories. The editor describes the book as having two concepts behind it -- to collect essays with a length somewhere between micro-stories and Best American entries, and to give readers a sense of being there, inside the story, instead of here, as a separated reader. After a slow start, the anthology achieves these goals quite well.
Overall, I really loved how anti-traditional-travelogue this collection was as I read it. I love travelogues and read them regularly, but seeing how this one was put together makes me question some of the best ones I've read before. This collection felt like more of an experience than mere reportage; I truly was there instead of here.
The one major gripe I have, beyond the slow start and a desire for a little more geographic diversity, is that the Kindle edition does not come with a table of contents. For an anthology in particular, where you want to be able to easily skip back to individual essays, this is pretty unforgivable. Hopefully the publisher will correct this in later editions. Still, it is worth owning and savoring.
December 23, 2012
This is an excellent compilation of travel stories. Most are rather short, but still enjoyable.
I was especially interested to read the story about Bali as it was so totally different from my ten-day trip back in 2001. Bali has many special memories for me and I have to agree with the writer on the friendly people - the Balinese are some of the nicest people on earth!
I recommend this book to any armchair traveler as well as the seasoned traveler who might be wondering where to head next.
I was especially interested to read the story about Bali as it was so totally different from my ten-day trip back in 2001. Bali has many special memories for me and I have to agree with the writer on the friendly people - the Balinese are some of the nicest people on earth!
I recommend this book to any armchair traveler as well as the seasoned traveler who might be wondering where to head next.
September 16, 2018
Enjoyable Read
This book is an interesting collection of short stories that report first person experiences of many travelers around the world. It was delightful to read, and the only part I disliked was that I wanted to know more about some of the trips described. Perhaps that is a good thing, though. Raising the reader’s interest and stimulating curiosity is a fine quality in a book.
This book is an interesting collection of short stories that report first person experiences of many travelers around the world. It was delightful to read, and the only part I disliked was that I wanted to know more about some of the trips described. Perhaps that is a good thing, though. Raising the reader’s interest and stimulating curiosity is a fine quality in a book.
April 12, 2013
This first-reads giveaway book was okay. The stories weren't necessarily captivating - and weren't necessarily memorable - but the moral behind each short story was what kept me reading this book. BE THERE NOW. Meaning: Live in the Moment. Sometimes a once-in-a-lifetime-moment really is only once-in-a-lifetime and we need to cherish and relish in it. That being said, you don't have to "travel the world" to have a once in a lifetime moment, but when you do travel all sorts of adventures and wonders are opened up to you that never would have been possible before. My favorite quote is: Life is a book and those who do not travel only read a page. Soak in life. Travel. Learn to love other people, circumstances, and customs - and realize that when you appreciate life in the moment - you will appreciate the small things much more - and in turn - be much happier.
January 23, 2014
"Be There Now" is a collection of travel stories that leads around the world. It features stories from twenty-two contributors who share adventures and escapades from all continents, and covers a lot of different themes.
The book starts in Guatemala, and from there, moves to France, Mexico, China, Syria, Disneyland, Germany, Nicaragua, Alaska, Peru, Newfoundland, Costa Rica.. and it is as fascinating and diverse in destinations as it is in moods and themes. It ranges from fun stories to reflective, and from nature walks to online travel adventures. Enjoyed the read, i read it as e-book, which was available at a very travel-friendly 99 cents.
PS: this is part of a longer review that includes a second travel book, "The Old Ways": http://virtual-notes.blogspot.de/2014...
The book starts in Guatemala, and from there, moves to France, Mexico, China, Syria, Disneyland, Germany, Nicaragua, Alaska, Peru, Newfoundland, Costa Rica.. and it is as fascinating and diverse in destinations as it is in moods and themes. It ranges from fun stories to reflective, and from nature walks to online travel adventures. Enjoyed the read, i read it as e-book, which was available at a very travel-friendly 99 cents.
PS: this is part of a longer review that includes a second travel book, "The Old Ways": http://virtual-notes.blogspot.de/2014...
July 20, 2014
I was wanting to love this book, but it is very boring. These are not stories of any depth, as I was expecting. I should have guessed what the book would be like based on the "thrilling" first story about bird watching in Brazil....zzzzzz.....
February 6, 2013
Entertaining light reading about other people's experiences traveling. Cool to read personal stories, not just generic ones. :)
September 22, 2014
Very uneven collection. Too many pieces devolve into pat insights and cliched self discovery.
January 20, 2014
A collection of short travel anecdotes - the funny, the amazing, the scary.....
Easy read - good for holidays or the sick person who can't concentrate for long..
Easy read - good for holidays or the sick person who can't concentrate for long..
Read
March 19, 2014Some good short stories, others were predictable and dull.
September 1, 2014
Most excellent.
October 19, 2016
Loved it!
January 7, 2017
Very captivating.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews