Notes from Crew Quarters: Travel Reading

The Passages North staff does a lot of traveling--including to AWP in a few weeks, where we hope to see many of you! In honor of that, we asked our editors to share some of their favorite travel reading.

Jason Teal, Associate Nonfiction Editor

On long rides--because I can't always count on every car's suspension or the driver's soundtrack, my dad usually driving but also due to the fact that I did not go airborne until I was an undergrad--pictures take priority over words. I stick to graphic novels or comics, to which I can reorient easily. But I also love weird fiction, so collections like Nick Francis Potter's NEW ANIMALS, which combines both worlds, short comics published alongside weird(er) short fiction, rocket to the top of my reading list.

Matt Weinkam, Managing Editor 

Any audiobook read by a comedian: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin, Bossypants by Tiny Fey, More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman.

Robin McCarthy, Managing Editor

A couple years back, I read Norman Mailer's EXECUTIONER'S SONG while I let my boyfriend drive roughly all of a 7000 mile road trip. It meant we spent more time in Utah than originally planned. Mostly, though, I like self-help when I'll be flying or riding trains or other travel rife with frequent interruptions. It really enhances the people watching and asks very little of my head.

Patricia Killelea, Poetry Editor

I always pack John Felstiner's translations of Paul Celan with me on long trips. I'll open it up to random pages and his words never fail me. Same with the Tao Te Ching.

Other road trip standbys include Bill Hicks' comedy albums, and Jim Morrison's spoken word album "An American Prayer."

Hayli Cox, Associate Nonfiction Editor

I adore audiobooks if I'm driving, but if I'm a passenger of some sort, I like to take along literary magazines and journals. When each piece ends, I appreciate the chance to look out a window and process.

Ashely Adams, Associate Nonfiction Editor

My beloved Sibley's Field Guide. You never know what birds you might see when you're traveling!

Jacque Boucher, Spoken Word Poetry

Spoken word albums! Christy Namee Eriksen's HOW TO TELL IF A KOREAN WOMAN LOVES YOU and anything Andrea Gibson.

Sarah David, Associate Fiction Editor

Something light, like a cozy mystery. If my destination is relatively warm or beachy, I'll read Erin Hilderbrand's novels or something best-seller-y on my ever-growing "to read" list.