At the March 8 meeting of Writers Forum, adventure travel writer Joel Stratte-McClure will present the second travel narrative in his Mediterranean trilogy, “The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean.” He will discuss the genesis of his Idiot-ic project, and the evolution of his personal odyssey, detailing the merits of an exciting eBook compared to a printed edition, and describing the status, requirements and drama of contemporary publishing.
The narrative, which takes readers 4,401 kilometers from Rome to Turkey, was initially published in 2013 as an eBook (on iBooks, Kindle, Nook and as a .pdf) with interactive maps, intriguing links and two hundred photographs. It appeared in paperback, without the complementary material, six months after the eBook version hit cyberspace.
Stratte-McClure, a graduate of Shasta High School in Redding, lived in France for over three decades, and has been writing about his global trekking and hiking adventures since the 1970s. His work has taken him to over 100 countries and his articles have appeared in Time Magazine, The London Times, People Magazine, The International Herald Tribune, Scientific American, Cosmopolitan and numerous other publications.
His first book, “The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean,” recounted the 4,401-kilometer MedTrek from the Algerian border to Rome, and was published in 2008 by a traditional publisher on paper and on Kindle.  Both books are available online or locally in paperback at “Enjoy the Store” and “All About Books.” They will be available to Writers Forum members during his presentation on March 8.
The public is always welcome to attend. First visit is free. Donations are requested at the refreshment table. For further details or directions to the new location, call 547-5303, or visit www.reddingwritersforum.com
Writers Forum, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983, is dedicated to promoting writing as an art and as a profession and to supporting and inspiring writers from all over far northern California.
When:  Saturday, March 8, 2014  –  10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Where: Writers Forum metings are held in the Memorial Hall of All Saints Episcopal Church, 2150 Benton Drive, Redding. The church is located at the corner of Benton Drive and Quartz Hill Road.
-from press release
