Marianne Murphy Zarzana
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AARP Driver Safety Program & Travel Writing

3/5/2011

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Today my husband Jim and I spent our Saturday morning and afternoon taking an AARP Driver Safety Course at our local Adult Community Center here in Marshall. Why? Probably for the same reason as the other 25 people there: to get a 10% discount on our car insurance. You can take the course online, but we figured we'd go together and get it done in one chunk. Besides saving money, I was surprised to take away another bonus from the day--a trunkload of images and ideas for my travel writing. 

Although my favorite genre is poetry, I love writing non-fiction as well. In grad school at Minnesota State University, Mankato, I took a great non-fiction writing workshop from award-winning writer Richard Terrill. Then a couple summers ago I took a wonderful class on literary travel writing from Lon Otto at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. For that class we read Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, billed on the book cover as "a classic tale from one of the world's best-loved travel writers." We also got to pick a book to read for the class, and I chose Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. After focusing on my poetry writing, it's been freeing to have a more expansive canvas such as non-fiction. 

Who are some of your favorite travel writers? What are your favorite travel books?
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    I love to play with words. To capture moments on the page. To explore the physical and spiritual geography of what I call "fly-over country." I write from imagination, observation and my own experience of wandering in fly-over country--the literal, physical spaces of my life on the Minnesota prairie and the inner territory of the soul. 

    I teach writing at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota. I enjoy cooking and traveling with my husband Jim, reading, practicing yoga, playing tennis, biking, hiking and gardening.

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