"Real travelers move through both time and place and tend to understand real distances of both the 'here and there' of 'this place and that place,' as well as 'now and then.' And they know that the journey is just as important as the arrival," writes Brian Bouldrey in his introduction to Inspired Journeys. The 17 essays included in this anthology are about people in search of not only their destination, but themselves. Each person is a pilgrim, although not necessarily a spiritual one, looking for a connection to a place, a person or a time. The locations of these pilgrimages are varied--the houses in the Midwest where Laura Ingalls Wilder lived; the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India; the small huts in Cape Evans, Antarctica--and the intent behind each expedition varies as well. Some search for a favorite author's grave; others honor the dead by returning their ashes to a particular destination or by ritually washing the body; others embark on accidental journeys that open portals to cultures, customs and dimensions they didn't know existed.
Each narrative offers an alternative perspective to the typical travel essay, providing more details about the effect the trip has had on the traveler than descriptions of the surroundings. And while some pieces may feel incomplete, this becomes a reflection of the pilgrimage itself, which continues to affect the traveler long after the physical trip is over, just as these essays will linger long after the anthology is closed. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer