Travel Blog & Book News
“Louisiana Rambles” Honored Among Top Travel Books for 2011
Posted November 10, 2011 in Book Information
New Orleans writer Ian McNulty is a winner in the 2011 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition, which is recognized as the most prestigious in the field of travel journalism. McNulty earned the Silver Award in the Travel Book category for his book “Louisiana Rambles: Exploring America’s Cajun and Creole Heartland.”
The annual competition, named for the most prominent travel journalist of his time, is sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation (SATW). Winners of the awards were announced Nov. 10 at the SATW convention, held this year in New Zealand. This is the 27th Lowell Thomas competition, and it drew more than 1,200 entries. Judges are the faculty at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
In honoring his work, the judges said: “Ian McNulty’s enthusiasm for all things Louisiana is infectious and invigorating because it is so convincing. In ‘Louisiana Rambles,’ McNulty portrays the medley of sounds, smells, sights, textures and tastes that arise from a land so rich in culture, heritage, landscape and lore, along with an overabundance of hardship. McNulty provides readers with every reason to visit Louisiana as well as all the information needed to plan a memorable trip.”
McNulty adopted Louisiana as his home state 12 years ago and lives in and writes from New Orleans. The culture, food, lifestyle and people of Louisiana have inspired his writings, and he has dedicated his professional life to sharing with others the true character of a place unlike anywhere else in the world. His previous book, A Season of Night is an account of the tenuous first months in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and the resilience that spurred the city’s historic recovery.
Among other winners are Rick Steves, the leading American travel guidebook writer, blogger, social media personality and TV/radio host, who was named Travel Journalist of the Year. In addition, honored were Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, which won top honors as the best travel publications in North America; National Geographic Traveler, which took five awards, including best travel website and best cultural tourism article; and Outside magazine, which collected five awards, including best adventure travel and best investigative stories.
The Foundation distributes nearly $20,000 in prize money to individual winners. Generous donations by this year’s underwriters, the Tourist Office for Flanders-Brussels and Travel Guard, helped make the prizes possible.