Outside Of Ordinary: Women's Travel Stories

by Lynn Cecil, Catherine Bancroft (Editor)

Outside of Ordinary is Dropped Threads meets Around the World in 80 Days. Thirty-two women writers, including CanLit luminaries Sharon Butala (Lilac Moon, The Perfection of Morning), Lorna Crozier (Whetstone, Apocrypha of Light), and Alison Pick (The Sweet Edge) speak frankly about real-life travel experiences. Whether around the corner or around the globe, each woman explores both the inner and outer journeys that they have undertaken. From muddled romance to illegal smuggling, and isolated retreats to rigorous development work, these women have done it -- unexpectedly, sometimes, but always without regret.

Suspended in solitude / Kathie Sutherland --
Bocca della Verità / Sharon Butala --
Jaws in a bowl / Jane Eaton Hamilton --
Sundowners in the Cockpit / Jeananne Kathol Kirwin --
Roads to Iowa (... and a few other places not on the map) / Alison Lohans --
Traveling: poetic notes / Holly Luhning --
Shifting Gears / Elaine K. Miller --
The Hero(ine)'s journey / Janet Greidanus --
A Russian journey: Cold War and fragile peace / Ellen S. Jaffe --
Fear of hitchhiking / Amanda Stevens --
Chilean winter / Lorna Crozier --
I Was a Swami in Mexico / Linda Pelton --
The rule / Alison Pick --
A healing beauty / Charlotte Caron --
Ways of knowing / Jan MacKie --
Lautan / Jody Wood --
Passages / Catherine Bancroft --
The edge of risk / Chris Marin --
Made in Taiwan / Angèle M.C. Palmer --
Journey / Amy / Coupal --
"I'm not just here to take a walk, you know ...!" / Christine McKenzie --
The missionary and her mission / Sarahmaya Hamilton --
Growing up in Shanghai / Marion Jones --
Indelible gifts / Anne M. Sasso --
Gift of whimsy / Carole TenBrink --
Day and night in the Horn of Africa / Cheryl Mahaffy --
Andalusian admissions: becoming my mother's daughter / Larissa L. McWhinney --
Travels to Momostenango: every day has a face / Gillian Steward --
From Thailand to Japan / Christina Owens --Yukon Odyssey / Aprille Janes --
Calle 55: notes from the Canada-Mexico writing/photography exchange / Shelley A. Leedahl --
Separate spheres / Lynn Cecil

Genres: Travel, Fiction

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Lynn Cecil is the co-editor of Outside of Ordinary: Women's Travel Stories (Second Story Press). Lynn's writing (short fiction, poetry, articles) has been published in Canada, the United States, and Australia, most recently in The New Quarterly. Her short fiction has placed first and third in provincial contests, has been a finalist for the Sheldon Currie Fiction Prize, long-listed twice for the Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Competition (Emerging), and long-listed for the Writers' Union of Canada's Short Prose Competition. She is also a visual artist with over fifty solo and group exhibitions. She has illustrated five colouring books, available also in "chalkboard" editions.

Reviews

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a whole anthology, it's a bit underwhelming. A majority of the writers are from cultural backgrounds that are indistinguishable from each other (Canadian, white), and a good number of the stories simply say the same things just taking place in different settings. There are a few gems: two of the ones that stuck with me were 'Passages' (Bancroft) and 'Journey' (Jaffe).

[Shadoh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some wonderful stories,

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was one story in this volume that I would give 5 stars to and it was Made In Taiwan by Angele M M Palmer.

[Ella Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best travel insight books I"ve read. Explores the transformational quality of travel.Inspiring, ecletic and a real pleasure to read.

[Salty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am conflicted about the stories in this book. On one hand, as a woman and a traveler, I appreciate that the authors have seemingly bared their souls about their fears, dreams, and new beginnings.

On the other hand, as a woman and a traveler, I was disappointed almost across the board with the tone of the stories. Although the stories themselves were different, the overwrought styles of writing and the encompassing deference to spirituality or some greater being or guiding hand got tiresome. I don't deny women the right to express their spirituality, but in some of the stories, it even seemed like it was stuck in like an afterthought, like the editor gave them the theme and they had to try to stick to it. In that respect, many of the stories had a "sameness" to them, which got so boring and clichéd that I ended up flipping through the ends of many of them.

Female writers often seem to attempt to show their strength through spiritual musings or soulful epiphanies. For me, unfortunately in this case, I found that it only weakened what was otherwise honest, dynamic, thoughtful, and funny writing.

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to include a disclaimer right off the bat - I generally do not like short stories. Friends have suggested I just haven't read the right ones, but I honestly think it is more to do with the fact that I can't really get to know the characters in such a short time, and that leaves me feeling very unsatisfied. So I think this is part of the reason I thought this book was just ok. Of course when you get a book of stories you are going to like some more than others - this was definitely the case here, some I enjoyed and some I really didn't like. Despite a common theme of travel, the stories were of course very different as were the writing styles. If you like short stories you might enjoy these stories, but it is difficult for me to recommend not knowing if my issue was really the stories or the short story style.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best travel insight books I"ve read. Explores the transformational quality of travel.Inspiring, ecletic and a real pleasure to read.