Editors Pick

The idea of a monthly editors pick came up in May, when the site had been around for a good 5 months.

IT was getting to the point where articles were being overlooked—great articles that we put up back in December—and I was worried that these articles would be lost amid the sea of monthly Spotlights. And we thought, "how can we get people to visit these articles—these great examples of writing on our site?" Afterall, the popularity of our Spotlight section is something we are grateful for, but sometimes people contribute to the site with ONLY a knowledge of the Spotlights, and they don't realize that there are other categories, other great ways to contribute.

SO the Monthly Editors Pick idea emerged, and we decided that each month we'd comb through the site, pick out a couple of deserved articles, and mark them with the prestigious "Editors Pick." Sure, all of the articles are deserved—otherwise they would not be on our site. We edit and choose each article one by one when even considering it for placement on The Long Trip Home.

AND Editors Pick gives us a chance to recognize articles one by one. It's a special spotlight, in a way, that gives chosen articles the chance to shine brighter, alone. It's a way to bring some of those older articles into the forefront, and thereby making visitors think (we hope), "Hmmm...here's a great article. I bet there are other great articles around here. Let me take a closer look."

So take a (closer) look. The following articles have emerged as our picks:

July 2002:

Cave of the Winds
Commercialism gone amuck seeps its way into a tour of Cave of the Winds, Colorado.

The Mall: International Comfort Zone
Finding cultural significance in a shopping center seems like an oxymoron, but Benjamin Tischer's experiences in a German mall remind him of the familiarities, and differences, that his new home provides.

April Quarter 2004 :

Alan Siegle's Alaska
Alan Siegle's three trips to Alaska fuel a photo journal filled with everything from stunning mountain scenery to brown bears wadiing in a nearby river. He accompanies the piece with an account of his travels there and his efforts to photograph Alaska. His efforts pay off in this beautiful series of photographs.

July Quarter 2004 :

A Letter to Chris from Quito
Paul Goyette's letter to his friend Chris tells a vivid story of the characters he meets at an English language bookstore while living in Quito, Ecuador.

October Quarter 2004 :

Travels With Wally
Kathy Hill Zichy finds out a lot about herself, and about friendship, as she travels through the adventurous routes of the Norwegian Fjords. This piece, her first of two stories about adventure guide Wally Bruce, is filled with a sense of accomplishment--of goals achieved--and of the meaning a single person can have, even for a moment, in one's life.

January Quarter 2005 :

Rain Crazed on Malioboro
Barrie Lie-Birchall's interesting stories and personal tales have blessed The Long Trip Home with a constant hum about life in Indonesia. This story imparticular gives such a small window into Indonesian life--it shows the effect of very rainy weather on a street in Yogyakarta--that it seems to tell almost more than a less-specific story could. Barrie's ability to understand people and imagine their thoughts on a day like this one makes "Rain Crazed on Malioboro" this quarter's editor pick.

April Quarter 2005 :

The Last Baja Sunset
The end of a trip through Baja California is a chance for Alastair Bland to reflect on his past year--the better part occupied by this hike through Baja. This was the first of Alastair's two articles on The Long Trip Home, and Alastair does an excellent job of pulling those of us unfamiliar with what it means to take such a trek immediately into his world--we are suddenly aware, by his writing, of what it means to be lonely, yet not ready to go home. And as we see the choices he makes here, we can understand better for ourselves what his last Baja sunset really means.

January Quarter 2006 :

Bali:A Photojournal
Barrie Lie-Birchall is a frequent contributor to the site, and he has always produced wonderful pieces, mostly regarding Indonesia. This photojournal of the island of Bali is no exception--the photos are filled with a certain sense of really knowing a place, as if Barrie is taking us on a personal, almost intimate journey into a land that he loves. From views of the land to pictures of people to tremendous sunsets, Barrie captures the essence of his own Bali and shares it with us.