Taking Flight

Letter from the E.D.
by Cathleen Miller

The notion for our “Taking Flight” issue began in our public appearances around the country. After we would read from Stories of World Travel, or tell tales of our journeys, women would invariably say: “I wish I had the nerve to do what you do...to travel the world.” This made me realize that there are a lot of you out there who are longing to travel—as I once was—but just don’t know how to take that first step to make it happen. This edition is dedicated to helping you begin your exploration.

The Wild Writing Women believe so strongly in the power of travel to educate and enlighten that we even addressed it in our mission statement. Our goal is to “encourage the positive aspects of travel, and to empower women in general.” Having the courage to hit the road—with companions or alone—is empowering. It frees you to pursue your own destiny, to take an active role in creating your own history. Travel opens the door to your cage.

We are not the first people to come up with this idea. While so much fear and suspicion sadly keeps many Americans at home today (and granted this is probably not the best time to take the Girl Scout Troop on the Baghdad field trip) some of our best minds have created public institutions to encourage us to venture beyond our own borders and investigate other cultures.

For example, J. William Fulbright, a young man from Arkansas, traveled to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. After witnessing the devastation of World War II, Senator Fulbright introduced legislation to create the Fulbright Scholarships. He believed if large numbers of people lived and studied in other countries, “they might develop a capacity for empathy, a distaste for killing other men, and an inclination for peace." (Maybe more people need to learn this lesson; George W. Bush had never used his passport until he became president of the United States.) In 1961 President John Kennedy created the Peace Corps to create world peace and friendships. His hope was that U.S. volunteers serving abroad would learn a respect for other cultures and simultaneously their tenure would promote a better understanding of Americans.

But far beyond any political or social agenda is the pure joy available to travelers witnessing the beauty and majesty that we’ve only read about in books. And meeting people from foreign climes can offer you warm memories and lasting friendships. When you experience the world firsthand it becomes part of you, and travel abroad should be as much a part of every person’s education as formal schooling. In “Taking Flight” we’ve provided you with some of our early adventures, recent adventures, and guidelines for how to have an adventure of your own.

Many thanks to talented web designer Susan Brkich for helping us to create this new issue. We met up with Jacqueline’s old friend Susan in Paris last year when the WWW were visiting the City of Light en masse. She went to dinner with us after our reading at Shakespeare and Company and through the magic of the Internet has worked with us on this issue from New York. The world does indeed keep getting smaller. See more of Susan’s work at http://www.susanthology.com.

Don’t forget to write when you get home from your trip and let us know how it went, or give us feedback on the magazine. You can reach me at Miller2go@earthlink.net.

For all the Wild Writing Women, I wish you bon voyage and bon chance!

Cathleen Miller
WWW Editorial Dominatrix