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Welcome to Summer!

Village of Fontcouverte Corbieres, Aude, Occitanie, France

Hello, Art and Travel Lover,

BEYOND THE BOOK

Palazzo Pubblico, 1297-1344, Siena, Italy. https://www.toscanetips.nl/vakantie-tips-zuid-toscane/siena/bezienswaardigheden/palazzo-pubblico

GOOD AND BAD GOVERNMENT:
A TIMELY AND TIMELESS TALE

In chapter twenty-two of my book, The Art of Traveling Strangers, art historian Claire is in Italy guiding a man through the city of Siena. (You’ll need to read the book to find out who he is.)

She takes him inside the Palazzo Pubblico (the town hall pictured above) to show him a mural series called The Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti (shown in part below).

The Sala de’ Nove in the Palazzo Publico, Siena, with Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s frescoes, 1338 – 1339 https://flashbak.com/lorenzettis-allegory-of-good-and-bad-government-a-revolutionary-painting-for-then-and-now-373579/

Comprised of three wall paintings, this series illustrates the characteristics of of both good and bad leadership and can be seen as one of the most extraordinary and timeless works of the Italian Renaissance.

Even the location of these paintings is significant. The Room of the Nine (also known as the Room of Peace) is where Siena’s nine city councilmen met to make all the critical decisions for the city. Surrounded by Lorenzetti’s images, they couldn’t help but be reminded of the principles behind their choices and the consequences of their actions.

When Siena’s leaders walked into the room (different from the entrance today), the first thing they saw was the scene depicting the effects of good government—an incentive for them to do their job well. This image depicts idealized views of the town of Siena and it’s surrounding countryside—a rare secular subject for the early fourteenth century.

The Effects of Good Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, 1338-39, Siena, Italy https://www.holtonframes.com/blog/framing-good-life-lessons-stones-siena/

In my novel, the man listens carefully and looks closely as Claire describes the unique qualities of that painting. After some thought, he says:

“I like the construction workers on that roof up there. If this is supposed to be Siena under a good government, I think the guys on the roof convey the perfect message of day-to-day economic health that everybody who saw this painting could understand.” Then he frowned at the fresco. “As opposed to those dancing girls. As lovely as they are, I can’t imagine that they showed up every single day and danced around the town. They must have had something else to do.” He softly touched the small of my back.

The man’s observations in my book draw attention to just two of the many details that make this mural a masterpiece of thought and observation.

Curious to know more? Let’s delve deeper into some of the details that beautifully capture Lorenzetti’s vision for good government.

In the lower-left corner of the town scene, a young bride dressed in red and riding a white horse leads her bridal procession. The message? When you have good government, people can achieve their personal goals and thrive.

To the right of the wedding procession, some men sit on a bench under an arch. They’re lawyers drawing up legal contracts. With good government comes legal and fiscal transparency.

And to the right of these gentlemen, you have the dancing girls that the man in my story pointed out.

Who they are, what they represent, and why they’re dancing is up for debate. Some have theorized that they represent the nine muses—those goddesses in Greek mythology who guide and inspire mortals in their artistic and scientific pursuits.

Others have suggested they’re simply merrymakers who are part of the bridal procession. People are happy under good government.

I prefer the nine-muses theory. In my opinion, a good government supports the arts and sciences. But I count ten dancers, not nine. Perhaps they’ve been joined by an enthusiastic mortal?

Also, when you have good government, people are engaged and employed. Under an arch to the right of the dancers, a cobbler or a shoemaker interacts with a customer—a sign of economic prosperity.

To the right of that and underneath another arch, a teacher dressed in red instructs his students. Education, in my mind, is the cornerstone of a well-functioning democracy, and it thrills me that Lorenzetti, in the fourteenth-century, put this forth as an essential component to good government—engaging the mind.

Next to the schoolhouse, under a third arch, is a cheese or sausage shop with another customer—an additional sign of economic prosperity.

And, if you look up to the top of the painting above the schoolhouse, you’ll see the construction workers mentioned by the man in my novel. They’re suspended on wooden scaffolding fixed into a tower. When you have good government, the city grows.

Before we leave the town for the countryside to see how good government plays out there, let’s stop for a moment at the city wall.

If you look at the tall pink tower, you can see a white sculpture of an animal extending out from the town toward the landscape. Its placement is significant because the statue symbolizes all of Siena—both its urban and rural areas.

The sculpture represents a she-wolf suckling two young boys—Romulus and Remus. But wait, you say, didn’t Romulus and Remus found Rome? The short answer is yes, but the legend continues, and that’s where Siena comes in.

As the story goes, Romulus and Remus were abandoned to die but were suckled by a she-wolf and lived. When they grew up, they founded Rome and placed a statue of a she-wolf in the sacred Temple of Apollo.

Later, Romulus (after whom Rome is named) murdered Remus, and the two sons of Remus fled for their lives, taking the she-wolf statue with them to become the symbol of their own city-state—Siena.

The she-wolf image can be found in many locations throughout the city today. The example you see below is next to the cathedral.

Returning to the painting, we can see a winged female figure in the sky right next to the sculptural symbol of Siena. She embodies the principle of security. We know this because she holds a banner that promises safety to all who live under the rule of law. And to show she means business, she holds up gallows with a hanged figure—a clear message that any threat to Siena’s preservation will be severely punished.

Directly below the personification of security, we see the results of living in a safe place. The city gates are open, wealthy citizens ride out to enjoy falconry, and farmers bring their goods into town.

Out in the fields, we can see other farmers tending to their crops, ensuring there’s enough food for everyone. Industrious, well-nourished citizens are also the product of a good government.

As I take in this expansive scene, the proverbial “healthy, wealthy, and wise” comes to my mind. If we add “happy” and “safe” to that, I think we have the gist of Lorenzetti’s message to Siena’s leaders—a timeless message from which today’s leaders could greatly benefit.

Sources:
https://rockyruggiero.com/
https://flashbak.com/lorenzettis-allegory-of-good-and-bad-government-a-revolutionary-painting-for-then-and-now-373579/
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/ambrogio-lorenzetti-allegory-of-good-government-in-the-city-and-in-the-country

ART UPDATE

Woman-Ocher by Willem de Kooning, 1955, University of Arizona Art Museum

The Art, The Theft, The Film, The Exhibits:
Willem de Kooning’s Woman Ocher

In 1985 a famous painting was stolen from a museum. Thirty-two years later, it was found. This is the story of that painting’s journey.

The Art

Woman-Ocher (detail) by Willem de Kooning, 1955, University of Arizona Art Museum

Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning painted Woman-Ocher (above) in 1955 as part of a series he began in 1950. When the first works in the series were shown, they caused a sensation. Not only were they figurative (when most Abstract Expressionists had sworn off recognizable imagery), but they were savagely so. Using slashing brush strokes and strident colors, de Kooning violently distorted the female form, giving her menacing bared teeth, huge ghoulish eyes, and grossly pendulous breasts.

Woman I (detail) by Willem de Kooning, 1950-52, Museum of Modern Art, New York

The works seemed to express the most Freudian of male sexual fears and misogynist tendencies. The controversy over these works prompted Willem’s wife, Elaine de Kooning, to proclaim that she was not the inspiration. His mother was.

Loved or hated, there’s no question these works pack a powerful punch.

Below on the left is a photo of de Kooning in 1950 when he was just starting his “Woman Series.” He was 46. The image on the right shows the artist at 82, one year after the heist.

De Kooning was one of the boldest and most innovative of the Abstract Expressionists who took twentieth-century painting to new expressive heights. The works in De Kooning’s “Woman Series” are not only considered exceptional examples of post-World War II abstraction but possibly the most famous works de Kooning ever produced.

The Theft

Photograph of Jerry and Rita Alter

Woman-Ocher is one of the smaller paintings in the “Woman Series” and was donated to the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1958 by art collector Edward Gallagher Jr. in honor of his thirteen-year-old son who died in a boating accident. It was a cherished museum possession until it was stolen.

University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, Arizona

According to a statement from the university, a man and a woman entered the museum around 9 a.m. on November 29, 1985. While the woman spoke with a security guard, the man went upstairs, cut Woman-Ochre from its frame, rolled it up, and hid it under his coat.

The pair quickly left the museum about fifteen minutes after arriving. Suspicious of their hasty departure, the guard went upstairs and discovered the empty frame as the thieves pulled out of the parking lot in their red Toyota Supra.

No one chased after them. The museum had no surveillance cameras, and the thieves left no fingerprints at the scene.

Photo of the empty frame at the University Of Arizona Museum Of Art. Courtesy University of Arizona.

The couple was described as a woman in her mid-fifties with shoulder-length reddish-blond hair, wearing tan bell-bottom slacks, a scarf on her head and a red coat, and a man with olive-colored skin, wearing a blue coat.

Lacking solid leads for two years after the theft, the FBI added Woman-Ochre to its list of most wanted stolen artworks. The painting was worth four hundred thousand dollars at the time of the robbery. Today it's valued at well over one hundred million.

Fast-forward now to 2017, when antique dealer David van Auker paid two thousand dollars for the contents of Rita Alter’s home after she died. (Her husband Jerry had died in 2012). Rita was a retired speech pathologist, and Jerry was a retired music teacher—a totally normal couple living in a New Mexico suburb. Well, maybe not totally normal.

In their bedroom, tucked behind the door, hung de Kooning’s Woman-Ochre.

The stolen De Kooning hanging behind Jerry and Rita Alter’s bedroom door. Photo by Rick Johnson, courtesy of Manzanita Ridge Furniture & Antiques.

When van Auker displayed Woman-Ochre in his store, several customers told him that they thought it was a real de Kooning which prompted the antique dealer to do some “Googling.” Worried he’d purchased a stolen painting, van Auker contacted the University of Arizona Museum of Art and discovered his customers were right. It was the stolen de Kooning.

Although the Alters have never been officially linked to the artwork’s theft, a fair amount of circumstantial evidence connects them to the crime.

1. They resemble a composite police sketch of the thieves.

Rita and Jerry Alter. WFAA via YouTube

Police sketches of the man and woman who stole Willem de Kooning's Woman-Ochre from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in November 1985 University of Arizona

2. Rita owned a red coat similar to the one worn by the woman during the theft.
   

3. The couple drove a red sports car similar to the getaway vehicle.
   

4. Shortly before his death, Jerry published a collection of short stories (The Cup and the Lip Exotic Tales) that included what appears to be a thinly disguised retelling of his and Rita’s art theft. Titled “The Eye of the Jaguar,” the story centers around a security guard responsible for protecting a famous emerald. An older woman and her granddaughter visit the museum, steal the emerald, and hide it away where only they can see it.

5. A photo of the Alters at a 1985 Thanksgiving dinner in Tucson, Arizona, shows they were in the same city as the de Kooning painting the day before the theft.
   

Jerry and Rita Alter at Thanksgiving dinner in Tucson the day before the robbery. Image courtesy of the police department and Ron Roseman.

6. Oh, yeah, and don’t forget, the painting was found hanging in their bedroom!

The Film

Advertising image for The Thief Collector documentary, 2022, director Allison Otto https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14361892/?ref_=tt_mv_close

In her documentary film—The Thief Collector (premiered this March)—Allison Otto attempts to answer why a husband and wife described by friends as “nice people” and “not exactly thrill-seekers” would steal a priceless artwork. And if they did, what else might they have done?

Otto first came across the couple’s story in a 2018 Smithsonian magazine article.

“I was haunted by this story for months after I first found out about it. This is not your traditional true crime story…

[The documentary] makes you wonder how well do you really know those around you, and how far would you personally go for something that you covet?”

During her research for the documentary, Otto discovered many surprising things about this “ordinary” couple.

She and a team of editors sorted through 11,797 slides and several hours of 8-mm films from the family’s photo and home movie collections. These images document their travels to one hundred forty countries—a rather expensive pastime.

Jerry and Rita Alter travel photos. Courtesy of WFAA

Rita also supposedly had over one million dollars in her bank account when she died. And the image below? It’s the Alter’s estate in New Mexico.

Alter New Mexico Estate. Courtesy of Grant County Assessor’s Office, New Mexico

Extensive international travel, a substantial nest egg, and a luxurious home. How did they do all that on public school teachers’ salaries?

[Note: While writing this, I found no way to stream the hour-and-a-half documentary. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14361892/
But you can watch the trailer here: https://deadline.com/video/the-thief-collector-sxsw-documentary-trailer-director-allison-otto-video/]

The Exhibits

Conserving de Kooning: Theft and Recovery, June 7 – August 28, 2022, Getty Museum Center https://www.getty.edu/visit/cal/events/ev_3361.html

Restored: The Return of Woman-Ocher. October 8 - May 20, 2022, University of Arizona Art Museum https://artmuseum.arizona.edu/events/event/return-of-woman-ochre

University of Arizona staff at the inspection and authentication of the recovered de Kooning painting. Woman-Ochre, 1954–55, Willem de Kooning. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in. Artwork © 2019 The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Bob Demers/UANews

When the stolen de Kooning was returned to the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 2017, it was carefully examined by the museum experts. They were thrilled the painting was back home at last, but not thrilled with its condition. Since the piece was cut from the frame, rolled up, and eventually stapled to a new frame, it was not in the best of shape. The touch-up work and varnishing apparently done by the Alters didn’t help either.

So, the painting left the museum again. This time it went to the world-renowned Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles for restoration. It took two years of meticulous work to bring the painting back to health.

Ulrich Birkmaier, 59, senior paintings conservator at the Getty Museum, working on “Woman-Ochre.” Credit...Philip Cheung for The New York Times

On June 7, 2022, the repaired painting will go on display at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, along with a short video about the restoration process.

“This exhibition picks up after the painting’s momentous 2017 recovery, highlighting its scientific analysis and painstaking conservation treatment.” – The Getty

This Getty exhibition marks the first public viewing of Woman-Ocher in almost forty years.

Woman-Ochre, after its conservation. Credit...Willem de Kooning Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; J. Paul Getty Trust

After the Getty exhibition, the painting will return to the University of Arizona Museum of Art for an exhibit titled: Restored: The Return of Woman-Ocher. It opens on October 8th this year.

“This exhibition documents the incredible journey of Woman-Ochre, guiding visitors through the circumstances of its creation, acquisition by UAMA, theft and miraculous recovery. It concludes by detailing the painstaking restoration work done by conservation experts at The Getty Center.” - University of Arizona Museum of Art

Woman-Ocher’s wild ride has finally come to an end. Soon she’ll be back where she belongs but as a changed woman. A controversial image before, she carries even more weight now with the story of her daring theft, the mysteries surrounding the couple who stole her, and her remarkable resurrection at the Getty.

If only she could talk!

Sources:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-would-two-ordinary-people-steal-a-160-million-willem-de-kooning-painting-180979787/
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/the-thief-collector-de-kooning-heist-review-1234622038/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/arts/design/de-kooning-getty-restoration-theft-art.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6025453/Married-couple-thieves-stole-160million-painting-30-years-ago.html

GET THE KEYS. LET’S GO!

THE OTHER SOUTH OF FRANCE

I think it's evdent from my previous newsletters that I've been longing to take a trip abroad. When my friend Gail went to Puglia, Italy in October 2021, I was green with envy and wrote about her adventure in my February newsletter. When my other friend Joyce went to Egypt this past March, I was beside myself but once again tried to quell my travel cravings by writing about the trip. (March newsletter)

So, you can imagine my delight when an opportunity to travel to the South of France fell in my lap. Friends of friends have a home in a tiny village called Fontcouverte, and they offered us a chance to stay there for four days. Why you ask? Because they’re selling the house, and I’ve dreamed of having a place in France since I was fourteen. So, off we went!

We flew nonstop from Los Angeles to Barcelona (more on Barcelona in my next newsletter). The airline was called Fly Level. Ever heard of them? I hadn't either, but it’s an airline registered in Spain that operates low-cost flights.

Their premier class barely qualifies as premium, but it's reasonably priced and does offer more comfortable seating and better service than economy.

[Note: To fly into Spain in May, we were required to have an "SpTH QR Code." I don’t know if it’s still a requirement, but you can go to https://www.spth.gob.es/ for more information.]

Narbonne, France

From Barcelona, we took a relaxing two-hour train ride along the Mediterranean coast to Narbonne. Founded in 118 BC, Narbonne was the capital of the first Roman province in France and a prosperous Roman seaport. It now sits slightly back from the Mediterranean but still has a beautiful sandy beach just outside town. Proud of its Roman heritage, Narbonne displays a portion of the ancient Roman road that once ran through the city.

A delightful tree-lined canal meanders through Narbonne. It’s a branch of the Canal du Midi, which hooks up with other channels to traverse France from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. The Canal du Midi is considered one of the greatest construction achievements of the seventeenth century. In 1996, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding engineering and artistic design.

Narbonne also offers some delicious dining options. Following a recommendation, we lunched at Le Petit Comptoir. It was delightful! https://www.petitcomptoir.com/

Occitanie and the Corbières Wine Region

From Narbonne, we rented a car and drove toward our village. The map below shows where we were. The region is called Occitanie (formally known as Languedoc-Roussillon). The thick green line at the bottom left represents the boundary between France and Spain, and the hand-drawn red circle and arrow mark the location of the tiny town of Fontcouverte.

Also, on the map just north-east of Fontcouverte and on the autoroute, you can almost make out the name of a larger city called Carcassonne. It’s known for its medieval fortress. We explored Carcassonne too.

Like Narbonne, Fontcouverte and Carcassonne are in the Aude District of the Occitanie region in France. Occitanie is not Provence, but it’s just as beautiful, far less touristy, and much more affordable.

Nowadays, Occitanie is often referred to as "the Other South of France." It's a region rich in history, culture, and wine, boasting some of the oldest planted vineyards in France—dating back to the fourth century BC.

The area spanning Narbonne to Carcassonne is blanketed with vineyards and is known as the Corbières wine region. Corbières is one of the wildest parts of France, with a very low population density. It's also one of the most productive wine regions in the whole Occitanie area and is known for its rich, herb-scented reds and its refreshing rosés.

Small villages, chateaux, abbeys, fortresses, and churches dot the vine-covered countryside, offering enticing side trips, like Carcassonne.

Carcassonne

Carcassonne is the largest medieval fortress in Europe, with its city walls intact. Its double-walled defense system makes it a masterpiece of military architecture.

Carcassonne. Image from https://www.catharcastles.info/carcassonne.php

Inside those walls are the castle,

the Romanesque/Gothic Church of Saints Nazarius and Celsus with the most beautiful stained glass windows in the South of France,

and lots of shops nestled in quaint medieval buildings,

including one that sells shoes, hats, and handbags made from cork!

There’s also a large selection of restaurants in this ancient walled city.

With so many places to eat, it was hard to choose. But in the end, we lunched at L'escargot (medieval on the outside and modern on the inside). https://restaurant-lescargot.com/

We were not disappointed!

After our delightful meal, we splurged on an incredible melt-in-your-mouth dessert!

The history of Carcassonne is as captivating as the city is today. In the twelfth century, the Cathars (a medieval religious sect of southern France) lived in Carcassonne. They were also known as the Albigensians for the town of Albi—a Cathar stronghold. The sect rejected the teachings of Catholicism as immoral and criticized the Church heavily for its hypocrisy, greed, and the lechery of its clergy.

Cathar beliefs included:

• God is both male and female – Because of this belief, equality of the sexes was encouraged. The female aspect of God was Sophia, "wisdom."

• Reincarnation – A soul is continually reborn until it renounces the world completely.

• Cosmic Duality – There are two powerful forces in the universe—good and evil—and they’re constantly at war. The purpose of life is to serve the good and escape the cycle of death and rebirth so one can return home to God.

• Vegetarianism - Eating fish was allowed in some circumstances.

• Celibacy - Marriage and procreation were discouraged since every person born was seen as just another poor soul trapped by the devil in a body. Cathars who were not celibate practiced birth control and abortion.

• The dignity of manual labor

• Suicide - a rational and honorable response in certain situations

At the same time the Cathars were living in southern France, courtly love poetry developed there. The common theme of this type of medieval literature is the beautiful woman who commands worship and service from a brave and noble knight.

Some scholars think it was Catharism that inspired these works, and they see the poems as allegories of Cathar beliefs. The damsel-in-distress was Sophia—the feminine principle of God—who the Catholic Church had abducted. The brave knight was the Cathar believer who loved and swore to rescue her.

According to this theory, Catharism spread widely and quickly because of the troubadours who traveled throughout France performing these poetic works.

Medieval Troubadours, Artist Unknown, Public Domain

Whatever the case, by the late twelfth century, Catharism was winning more followers than ever. So, Pope Innocent called for a crusade against southern France, promising the nobles of the north that they could keep all the rich lands and spoils of the south once they’d killed the Cathars and crushed their supporters.

The northern nobles were happy to comply with the pope's holy wishes, and in 1209, the Albigensian Crusade began. By 1229, the “official” crusade was over, but the northern armies continued to sack towns and murder villagers. The last Cathar defense fell in 1244, and two hundred people were burned alive on a large pyre.

As an organized religious sect, Catharism was extinguished in 1244, but as a living faith, it continued. The Cathars who survived the purge went on to live as they had before, only with greater care and secrecy. The survival of these communities is known through Church records of inquisitions which continued through the fourteenth century.

By standing up to the corruption of the medieval Church, The Cathars prefigured the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation.

Expulsion of the Cathars from Carcassonne, Artist Unknown, Public Domain

Source for the above information about the Cathars:
https://www.worldhistory.org/Cathars/

Fontcouverte Corbières

Fontcouverte has everything you'd expect of a small village in the Aude district of Occitanie:

quaint old streets,

a square with a café,

a church with a bell,

and adorable village cats.

Fontcouverte has a population of about 550 people and is surrounded by vineyards.

But it doesn't have is grocery stores, restaurants (besides the one small café), or shops of any kind.

Fortunately, the neighboring towns do. Lezignan is a ten-minute drive from Fontcouverte and has everything, including a train station.

Fabrezan

The village of Fabrezan is only five minutes away, with a small grocery store and a couple of lovely restaurants. We ate at one of them—Les Calicots. And what a treat it was!

Salade de Chêvre Chaud anyone?

I even found a car to my liking in Fabrezan! Great name, don't you think?

Fontcouverte Village House

And last but not least, here are some images of the house for sale in Fontcouverte, starting with a photo of Roger and me by the front door.

The house has a cozy living, dining, and kitchen area (emphasis on cozy),

a colorful bathroom,

a unique curved staircase,

and an eensie-weensie “parkette” next door.

So, what do you think? Would you buy this two-bedroom, one-bath, 850-square-foot village house if the price were right?

THE ART OF VISUAL LISTENING

Rabbit in a Glass by doodleguy

LINE AND SHAPE

This essay begins our detailed discussion of the visual elements and what they can convey. Knowing how these elements communicate in art can help us determine how effectively they’ve been used—a valuable tool for assessing an artwork’s quality.

Read more . . .

(Reminder: This section of my newsletter presents a series of essays about appreciating and evaluating art. The one in this issue is number seven in the series. To read any of the other essays, click the “Read more” link above and then click “Visual Listening” at the top of that page. It will take you to the links for the entire series.)

ZOE’S WORLD

Here I am in the little café in Fontcouverte.
Don’t you think the photo’s composition and colors go great with my book cover?

THE JOYS OF BOOK SIGNINGS

In May, before leaving for France—and I mean right before leaving—I had two book-signing parties. My sister hosted the first to coincide with her Silver Wings International luncheon. This group of retired TWA flight attendants was small but enthusiastic. I signed books, shared stories, drank wine, and enjoyed the lovely variety of yummy dishes that everyone brought.

It was a privilege to spend time with these women whom I have long admired (starting with my sister) for choosing a career that allowed them to explore the world.

The day before I left, my long-time friend Michael threw the second book-signing party, and it too was a delight. This one was larger than my sister’s, and it was there that I gave my first official in-person talk as an author. I was initially nervous, but everyone was so receptive, my jitters just melted away. What a wonderful, supportive group of people.

As with my sister’s book signing, several people bought several books, and I was flying high!

It was an exhilarating send-off for my actual flight to Barcelona and “the Other South of France” the next day. (See “Get the Keys. Let’s Go” above for details about that trip.)

THE RELEASE OF MY PAPERBACK

Now that I’m back from Europe and reacclimated, I’m gearing up for my next big book event:

the June 7th release of The Art of Traveling Strangers in paperback!

Zoe Disigny, The Art of Traveling Strangers, a novel.
Paperback Release Date: June 7, 2022

Before writing my book, I never realized that publishers released their books in stages. The hardcover and ebook are often released first, and the paperback and audiobook come later—sometimes a whole year later!

My two releases, though, are only four months apart. I wanted to get my paperback out into the market in time for the summer travel season.

So, as of June 7th, if you’re planning a summer trip (or know someone who is), my paperback book is ready to go along.

READER RESPONSE

The Goddess Eostre

Leslie Gabrielse (from Rotterdam, the Netherlands) said he loved reading about Eostre in my April newsletter. Her story offered a meaningful reminder of how timeless and universal our human celebrations are.

Another take on Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia

Also, in the April newsletter, I wrote about the Los Angeles exhibit called “Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia.” Gail (from Pasadena) went to see it a few weeks ago and told me she loved it. She agreed it was best to go to the IMax movie first to understand how vast the architectural area is. Even though she’d been to Angkor, the movie offered a perspective impossible to grasp on the ground. For anyone who hasn’t been to this ancient site, Gail recommends seeing the movie and the accompanying exhibition as an incentive to go to Cambodia.

The exhibit will be up through September 5, 2022.

Thanks for joining me.

Until next month, ~Zoe