This summer, if you want to get out of the house, smell the air of the inland sea and learn how to write about your travels, I’ll be teaching a course at the brand new Madeline Island School, just a few hours drive from the Twin Cities, set in the cool waters of Lake Superior’s southern coast.  The school is offering lots of other classes as well, but if you want to learn about turning your journal into an actual story, that’s exactly what we’ll be talking about. Here’s the description:  “Narrative travel writing can be one of the most powerful forms of nonfiction writing. This workshop will explore what makes a great travel story, what doesn’t, and how you can turn your travels into tales. We will read selections from the Best American Travel Writing 2009, along with other great works of travel literature. We will discuss leads, structure, and the archetype of the journey and touch on the various markets for literary travel writing.”  More details here.