Witty travel writer speaks at Carnegie Hall

Bill Bryson

Today, 7:30 p.m. Carnegie Music Hall

Student tickets $7

(412) 622-8866… Bill Bryson

Today, 7:30 p.m. Carnegie Music Hall

Student tickets $7

(412) 622-8866

From Sydney, Australia, to the Appalachian Trail,-nms maybe a semi colon here? from small town America to Kenya, Bill Bryson has traveled and documented his experiences along the way making his outlook on traveling life humorous and genuine, -nms comma added yet still disconnected.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Bryson had an idea that would not keep him in the Midwest -nms I checked this for long. He ventured to England where he stayed and lived for 20 years. There, he worked for The Times and The Independent as well as various other British and American publications. He has been noted as one of the world’s funniest and most eccentric travel writers.

His works include “A Walk in the Woods,” Bryson’s tale of tackling the Appalachian Trial, “The Lost Continent,” a search for the perfect American small town while driving through 38 states in America, “Notes from a Small Island,” an exploration of England by public transportation-nms AP style says to add a comma after a long list of things…would a comma work in this case then? and “The Mother Tongue” and “Made in America,” both historical anecdotes about the English language. He will publish another travel memoir, this one-nms about his experiences in Kenya, in December-nms in December about his experiences in Kenya.

Two of Bryson’s works that take a reversible look on travel and experiences abroad are “I’m a Stranger Here Myself,” a look on his own life after returning to the United States after living in England for 20 years. “In a Sunburned Country” chronicles Bryson’s own coverage of the Olympics in Sydney, offering a hilarious portrayal of Australia’s “Land Down Under” reputation.

In an excerpt from “In a Sunburned Country,” Bryson describes his arrival in Sydney after a 14-hour flight. He writes: “I mention this because the very first person I saw when I alighted at the airport on Friday was a petite Oriental cleaning lady, who looked at me not in the doleful, quietly embittered way of airport cleaners in all the rest of the world, as if to say, “-HNL ‘Do you know where I’d like to stick your skin flakes and lint, mister?”-HNL’ but beamed at me with a thousand-watt smile and said: ‘Welcome to Sydney, sir!”-HNL’ In the course of the next 10 minutes, I was welcomed to Sydney by seven people more – all of them seeming to mean it.”

Bryson’s opportunity to share his works and travel experiences with us is sure to be a tummy grabbing, eye-opening experience that will transport us from campus for a few hours to travel far, far away…