Julian Smith

Guatemalan police documents go online

admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:41:36 +0000

10 million scanned documents from the Guatemalan National Police Archive (which I covered for Smithsonian) have been put online.

Jamaica-bound with Global Reef Expedition

admin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:27:34 +0000

This Friday I’m heading to Jamaica to blog for the Khaled bin Sultan Living Ocean Foundation’s Global Reef Expedition to Pedro Bank (March 10-20). It’s part of one of the largest-ever studies of threatened coral reefs, a decade-long effort to help countries around the world figure out exactly what reef resources they have so they can protect them most efficiently. Follow along on Twitter, Fackbook or YouTube, and tune in to the blog starting Saturday for live science awesomeness!

Life.com Africa photo gallery

admin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:06:06 +0000

Life.com recently ran a gallery of my photos from the trip. Wow – now I can say I’m a “Life photographer”…

Partly word cloudy

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:33:00 +0000

O internet, is there anything you can’t do? Like make a tag cloud of my entire book? In an old-timey font? In the shape of Africa?

Oh no, wait–you can do that:

And just for comparison, here’s Grogan’s book, from Wordle:

Crossing the Heart of Africa wins memoir award from ASJA

admin — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:21:47 +0000

I’m thrilled to report that CHA has won the 2011 Outstanding Book Award for memoir/autobiography from the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

And in other news, a photo gallery from my 2007 trip is up now on Life.com. (Never thought I’d be an official Life photographer, but there you go!)

Southern Sudan votes for independence

admin — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:42:11 +0000

They were talking about it when I visited in 2007, and now they did it: Southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly–close to 99 percent–to split off from the north. The largest country in Africa is about to become two.

I can only hope, as I’m sure all of the people who voted do, that this brings some peace and stability to that benighted place.

Crossing the Heart of Africa now available online at Starbucks

admin — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 22:51:39 +0000

From today through Jan 1, the book is available online at any Starbucks through their Bookish Reading Club. When you hop online (now free), you can log in and start reading, and also save your place for next time.

Grogan’s legacy in the Pacific Northwest

admin — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:15:26 +0000

First I learn that one of Grogan’s great-grandsons lives right up the road from Portland, where he’s an architectural illustrator. He met Grogan as a young boy in Kenya. I was lucky enough to meet him at my reading at Powells.

Then I find out that the great-granddaughter of the editor of the Cape Times when Grogan made his journey lives right here in town. They have an original copy of From the Cape to Cairo, signed by guess who, and even some weapons Grogan collected on his trip.

Amazing. What a tiny, tiny world.

It’s Official! Crossing the Heart of Africa now on sale

admin — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:32:19 +0000

I’ve been working on it for so long – over 5 years – that publication day itself almost seems like a surreal anticlimax. Almost. Really, it’s amazing, and overwhelming to see it up there on Amazon.

Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible: my agent Byrd Leavell, my editor Peter Hubbard, and all the others who helped in so many ways. And Laura, of course.

To top it off, I just heard that one of Grogan’s great-grandsons might be coming to my talk at Powell’s tomorrow evening. He actually met him as a child. Wow!

This about sums up how I feel right now:

Mweya, Uganda

Crossing the Heart of Africa picked for Starbucks in-store Bookish Reading Club

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 08:00:07 +0000

Great news! Crossing the Heart of Africa has been chosen for Starbucks’ new in-store Bookish Reading Club this December.

From December 14-28, you’ll be able to read the entire book online at any Starbucks with Wifi, which is now free. You can save your place and discuss it with other readers.

It’s a thrill to be a part of this new venture, in the company of writers like Dennis Lehane, Robert B. Parker, Greg Bear and Steven Johnson. Right before Christmas, no less.