After an unplanned two-year hiatus, I’m excited to finally be back in production-mode for The Camino Podcast. Over the next few months, I hope to have 10-12 new episodes posted online, and I’ve already got interviews in the can for two-thirds of those.
The first of the new batch is now online! Here is the episode overview:
Episode 31 – John & Rebekah: The Camino de Santiago has a powerful gravitational pull. It draws many back for multiple pilgrimages; in some cases, it reorganizes individuals’ lives. That is certainly the case for the two people featured in this episode. John Brierley first walked the Camino three decades ago. In that first pilgrimage, he quickly realized he would become a guidebook writer, and indeed, he has become the most read English-language author in that realm (see caminoguides.com for more). Rebekah Scott, meanwhile, moved to Moratinos, Spain–a small town in the meseta on the Camino Francés–many years ago. She is deeply involved in many pilgrimage-related initiatives, many of them bundled beneath her Peaceable Projects organization (see peaceableprojects.org). Both share stories from their lives on the Camino, along with previews of their upcoming work.
One thing I hope to do with this new set of episodes is to share some production notes in this blog. Sometimes when listening to a podcast, I know that I often hear about things that I want to look up later, only to lose track of those before I’m back at a computer. This is an attempt to highlight some of the interesting resources highlighted in each episode, and to provide additional background info on relevant topics.
On John Brierley: His website, Camino Guides, is definitely the place to start. Beyond specific information on his books, note the video interview included under the “Community” tab. John notes that, alongside of his first pilgrimage, he also moved to a spiritual community when he made his pivotal life change. That community is Findhorn; their website makes for an interesting read! Finally, John mentions in the discussion that he’s working on a new guide to the Camino Invierno. There is a growing body of information available online about that route, including a communally-produced guide on the Camino Forum and plenty of great blogs, including Mountains with Megan (for text) and A Good Walk Unspoiled (for pics).
On Rebekah Scott and Peaceable Projects: It’s really worth visiting the Peaceable Projects site, for descriptions of the projects pursued thus far (including the most recent initiative in support of Albergue Santa Cruz in Sahagún) and Rebekah’s blog posts on life in Moratinos. While that site is new, you can find Rebekah’s earlier writings on Moratinos here. If you missed her first novel, The Moorish Whore, you can find a review here; keep an eye out for her memoir, A Furnace Full of God. You can support Peaceable Projects here.
On Bolitx: His Camino memoir, The Great Westward Walk (translated by Rebekah) is available in print and ebook form. You can find Bolitx’s old blog here, including a post about his home town, Zumaia.
