The International Writer's Magazine - Welcome - August 2007

Destinations: Travel stories & guides

Opinion: Politics & Issues

Lifestyles: Ways of living

The Last Costa Rican Paradise Kimberly Johnston The name Costa Rica now proves itself to be ironic; a country that was once so naturally rich, threatens to impoverish itself. Toronto Safari Habeeb Salloum Take your children to the African Lion Safari and the Blackwood Creek Pioneer Village Saving Cham Culture Antonio Graceffo The Kingdom of Champa, originating in the second century AD was one of the most powerful empires in Indochina Flying Bicycles & Italian Politics on the Adriatic Coast Thomas P. Coppock My college friend, Mats, and I rode our bikes from Copenhagen to Thessaloniki, Greece. We had plenty of adventures, but one night on Italy’s Adriatic Coast stands out… Venezia Sam North I am not sure whether you go to Venice for the history, the romance, the idea you can go everywhere by water or you just want to see it before it crumbles, but we all have reasons to go there and go there one must. Hiking Ajloun Marwan Asmar Looking up into the sky, it was pitch black, to the east directly, you see the faded lights of Bissan, the Palestinian town that is now under Insights from Tuscany: the Art of Simplicity Sonu Purhar I hear the merry ping of a horn behind me and automatically step aside; my short stay here has already schooled me in small-town road etiquette. Indianopolis- Unbound Ari Kaufman Geographically compact

The Emperor's New CDOs Dean Borok on sub-prime lending Broken down into bite-sized pieces that even I can understand, this is how the racket was set up US Intervention in Middle-East Brian Appleton I think that it does Iranians a grave disservice to dismiss their 70 million population as Islamic fanatic madmen Ten Years of Reflections James Campion Pt 11 'Know this, as long as this nation is at war the truth can no longer be considered an absolute' Being French Dean Borok - real power revealed No amount of money can induce a French woman to go along with the program if it’s against her nature The Mezquita and Rabo de Toro Christian J Perticone Coming upon the Mezquita with open doors there was little I could do to resist Albuquerque’s Hot Air Balloon Festival: Southwestern adventures - Adee Braun Today I realize a dream. Perhaps not a lifelong dream, or even a year-long dream, but maybe a four month long dream ever since the idea of circus-toned flying objects in a southwestern sky first lodged itself into my stubborn imagination The Guns of Central America Alex This bizarre trip, from Havana to San Salvador, took me through five levels of Central American gun culture

Bonjour Blueberries: Kathleen Hegedus-Beeksma Where is this treasure trove of wonders: cultural, natural and wild? North of Quebec City in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of the belle province. The Key to Japanese Architecture Kelly Waterbury The word ‘pub’ is misleading to a foreigner in Japan, misinterpreting a simple word can take you places you never dreamed of going. Morro de Sao Paulo Annie Lalla in Brazil There are no cars here.  You walk everywhere by foot.  All transport of goods is accomplished by wheelbarrows marked "Taxi" on the side with unintentional humour. FROM THE ARCHIVES Why You Travel Richard Turner How to arrive... Chasing Dragons Nicole Trilivas on wanderlust I’m constantly chasing the dragon. This isn’t wanderlust - it’s wanderlove. Travel Without Destinations Claire Kulikowski on crossing borders Travel, purposefully purposeless travel, helps a person live better than they might have otherwise Processing the Travel Experience Eric D Lehman on communication skills My friend Ford can boast many of the adventures the rest of us only dream about. Letting Off Steam Ed Freeman Mistakes on the Road Well Travelled Washington DC on Foot A new tour of the National Mall conveys the history that inspired the monuments at a price perfect for any budget: Free - Ben Hindman

Conan Doyle Collection: New Fiction Prize Four Categories: Detective: Contemporary or Historical Amazing Adventure Young Sherlock Holmes: 14-17 age group Go here for details: Nov 2007 deadline

Ist Prize £1000 with four runner ups £250 each The Judges: Michelle Spring - (The Night Lawyer) Sam North - (Curse of the Nibelung) Steven O'Brien - (Dark Hill Dreams) Neil McCaw - Director of Conan Doyle Collection In Association with Portsmouth City Council

Short Story Competition

FICTION Original Shorts

REVIEWS Books & Film

Search this site or the web powered by FreeFind   Site search Web search Fiction on Hacks Over the hill Quentin Bates - Investigates The ‘thank you for driving carefully through our town’ sign disappeared in a cloud of dust kicked up from the dry road as the inspector put her foot down. "It’s not as if we have to worry about speeding," she grinned. As the road climbed, the team from Reykjavík in the van in front slowed as the mist drifted across the road and the inspector drummed meaty fingers on the steering wheel.

Conversations With the Trees Karen Maxwell We pushed off from the side of the lake with Jonathan’s strong arms and his paddle extended onto the shore line. We paddled into the center on our way, to cross over, to the other side. I sat straight with the paddle in my hands grasp. The Sepulcher Lakunle Jaiyesimi Are words thrown up, like mines, from relegated sepulchers in the manner of whispers heavier than the songs of heroes? Heart Break Pass Joeseph Brooke Heart break pass, broken dreams and nightmare screams, visions of some corporate monkey drilling deep into your soul with carbide eyeballs Vinegar In The Salad Mark Cunliffe Nina Bale stood by the window in the office and looked out across London’s docklands. It was 1987 and it was her year. She could feel it in her bones,

Variety Lights Dan Schneider If you have ever wondered why Federico Fellini's film was called Eight and a Half , the reason is simple. It was the eighth full film he had directed, till that point, along with a 1Ž2 film credit, which was his debut effort, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix Directed by David Yates A Gemma Ayres review New thrills and chills.... Research: When to stop reading and start your novel Sam North A profile of three novels and the research behind them BORDERLINES Creative Writing Anthology by students at the University of Portsmouth - on sale now print or download

Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em and little fleas have lesser fleas ...ad infinitum - Augustus de Morgan

Bookmark us MA in Creative Writing Portsmouth University Apply now for Oct 07 entry *Last places available - apply by September 15th to avoid disappointment The Tutors: Alison Habens, Sam North, Steven O'Brien & guests Tell a friend about us Hackwriters - exploring life Want to submit something to us? go to submissions

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