Just returned from a two-week romp around my 48th state: ALASKA. What a glorious place! I saw two humpback whales and an orca breach in the bay, scaled one glacier and heard another “calving” (which sounds like a thunderstorm), watched a mama otter teach her pup how to crack a clam shell, biked along Anchorage’s Coastal Trail, ate a school of salmon and halibut, rode on a dog sled with a future Iditarod champ, and marveled over the scores of bald eagles, moose, seals, puffins, and hares roaming in the wild. Best yet, I did this with mi familia–Mom, Dad, my sister Barbara and her husband Alex, and my niece and nephew–our first family vacation in 20 years. Wow! The impetus for this journey was the Kachemak Bay Writer’s Conference in Homer, which was, hands down, the best writer’s conference I’ve ever attended: stellar staff, a wonderful faculty, a spectacular setting, and great camaraderie. Add it to your list, people!

Now I’m packing my bags for the University of Iowa’s Summer Overseas Writing Program in Greece, where we’ll spend two weeks workshopping essays, stories, poems, and translations on the island of Corfu (named after one of Poseidon’s favorite nymphs). Our hosts will be the good folks at the Durrell School of Corfu, which honors the great English writers (and brothers) Lawrence and Gerald Durrell. The former was a travel writer, translator, novelist, and poet best known for The Alexandria Quartet; the latter was a naturalist who wrote a terrific memoir called My Family and Other Animals. They lived in Corfu with their mother and sister just before World War II broke out, and often remarked that their worlds “turned from black and white to Technicolor” once they landed on the island, which sits near the Greece-Albania border.

Although most of the participants in the Overseas Writing Program are MFA candidates at Iowa, it is open to anyone. In summers past, we’ve studied in Queensland, Australia; Croatia, Slovenia, and Northern Italy; Hong Kong and Macau; and South of France. Next summer is a toss-up between India, Ecuador, and the Philippines. Contact director Robin Hemley for more details and start filling out your passport.