BATW members will have the chance to meet with three top editors, Wednesday, October 22 from 5-6 p.m. on Zoom.
Jim Benning, Editor-in-Chief, Westways/AAA Explorer will join us along with Shoshi Parks, the executive editor of 7×7 Magazine in San Francisco and Andrea Stuart, Editor-in-Chief, 57° & 65° Magazines. The conversation will cover details about their respective publications, how to pitch them, writing best practices, and more. The moderator will be BATW Vice President Nora Tarte.
Shoshi Parks is an anthropologist, journalist, and the executive editor of 7×7 Magazine in San Francisco. Her writing has appeared at Smithsonian Magazine, Fodor’s, Discover Magazine, Popular Science, Atlas Obscura, and a variety of other publications.
Jim Benning is the editor-in-chief of Westways and AAA Explorer, magazines that reach about 10 million AAA members in nearly a dozen U.S. regions. He began his career as a reporter at the Los Angeles Times and has served as an editor at AOL and BBC Travel. In addition, he co-created the online travel magazine World Hum, which he led through acquisition by the Travel Channel. The website won the Lowell Thomas award for best travel site and was named a Webby Honoree in the writing category, along with NPR and Vanity Fair. Jim’s own writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Outside, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure, and the Boston Globe. His Westways story about the music scene in Dakar, Senegal was featured in the 2021 edition of The Best American Travel Writing anthology. He’s finishing a novel about travel, love, and survival on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Andrea Stuart is the Editor-in-Chief, 57° & 65° Magazines.
Her specialty is telling stories through vivid prose. Whether developing copy for advertisements or editorial, she weaves allegory with personal accounts to reveal unique sides of individuals, organizations, and places.
She has interviewed and written about numerous dynamic people including Gavin Newsom, Willie Brown, Eddie J. DeBartolo, Jr., Steve Mariucci, Gary Radnich, Alan Silvestri, Wilkes Bashford, Tatiana Sorokko, Harry Denton, Jan Wahl, Carmen Policy, as well as winery owners/vintners, community leaders, professionals, and other personalities.
When she’s not slinging ink, she operates Vitality Yoga, and spends time cooking, gardening, reading, and hiking.
This will be excellent. Great job, organizers.
Cheers,
April
Looking forward to this. Thanks for organizing this.