Pomona College Book Tour Stop – The Joy Trip Project

21 Feb Pomona College Book Tour Stop – The Joy Trip Project

Last night I had the great pleasure of addressing the community of Pomona College in Southern California. In a full presentation of Expedition Denali I shared several slides and stories detailed in my book The Adventure Gap and beautifully depicted in our film An American Ascent. As the house lights came up with the closing credits at the Rose Hills Theatre a small audience of supporters offered up a graciously round of applause. Beaming with pride I took a small bow as the student who served as the night’s master of ceremonies said to the crowd, “Wasn’t that cray!”
With that the noise of their clapping kicked up an octave or two as several heads nodded in apparent agreement. The film and was indeed cray. And even though I had no idea what that meant I took for granted that it was a good thing. Despite my lack of youth-speak fluency I was psyched to make a connection like this with room full of young people. It was never more clear to me that all the time and effort devoted to this project were completely worth it.
For all you aspiring authors out there, take it from me. Writing the book is the easy part. When fortune smiles upon you with creative inspiration to share a compelling story that you’re passionate about it’s hard not to be inspired and excited for the prospects of bringing a piece of literature into the world. If you’re fortunate as I was to have a publisher to provide you with the funds and resources to draft the words that populate your mind you’ll find the discipline and motivation to get the job done. But the work really starts when you take that completed project and share it with the world. I am incredibly grateful for the interest and enthusiasm of audiences around the country who have embraced this story and are now eager to share it with others.
This leg of my book tour also included a stop at the University of California Santa Barbara. I gave two lectures in the department of Environmental Science. In the hopes of encouraging students to consider the various issues of diversity in outdoor recreation and environmental conversation I did what I could be both inspiring and compelling. Limited to only my slides and few film clips I can’t say that I was necessarily as cray as I was in Pomona day later, but do feel that this message is gaining traction and making an impact.
Next stop on the tour Colorado!
The Joy Trip Project is made possible thanks to the support of fans on Patreon.com