TripLit with D. Major

TripLit with D. Major

Hello WELL READ Readers!

Some may remember a couple of years ago when WELL READ Magazine published an epic series (not quite the page count of George R.R. Martin’s GOT but still grand in scale and content) about the late author, William Gay. So, I wrote a good chunk of that series along with Michael White and Mandy Haynes, author, editor, publisher who has the patience of Job gave us free rein. Since then, I’ve contributed interviews and reviews on fellow authors and friends, George Singleton and Raymond L. Atkins, a flash nonfiction piece called “The Boardwalk” that I desperately needed to expunge from my soul which made it into the WELL READ Magazine’s Best of 2023, Vol. Two Anthology, and a creepy essay about dark tourism that came out last October. It was the dark tourism piece, specifically recounting the Stephen King tour in Bangor, ME, that got me brewing on a bigger space to share my experiences in literary tourism, or what I am calling at this very moment…drum roll: “TripLit with D. Major.” And the other obvious reason for writing a column is that after writing my debut novel, The Bystanders, I needed to add yet another means of procrastination to avoid writing my sophomore book. I’m only half kidding. In all seriousness, I am thrilled to be doing this column and many thanks to Mandy Haynes for giving readers and writers these types of spaces.

So, if it hasn’t dawned on you yet—sorry, I couldn’t resist—let me quickly explain the name. The column features trips where I, Dawn Major, dig deeper into a literary landscape, but because let’s face it musicians are poets and poets are musicians and I didn’t want to exclude them I added the D. Major part. There’ s no deep hidden meaning to an obvious reference to a triplet in D Major other than it seemed catchy to me. Maybe my subconscious is playing games. Who knows? Feel free to refer to it as TripLit and call it a day. Just know that musicians count, too. I reckon I’ll write about illustrators, potters, and weavers, or any artists who delve into literati.

The truth is there’s a special type of energy that remains where our favorite artists, writers, musicians once lived or perhaps because that real place later became a setting or at least influenced their work. I’m absolutely addicted to the energy in those spaces to the extent that (and please do not tell my husband or my sister, Aleea, who is often my travel companion) when planning my next vacation, I first Google: ENTER “name of town, city, state, or country” you plan to visit AND “cemetery” AND “famous author.” Cemeteries are the best place to start, because if your favorite authors chose these sacred grounds as their final resting places then there is a good chance the surrounding environment influenced them.

Now you try it using Massachusetts: “Massachusetts” AND “cemetery” AND “famous author.”

Bingo! First, let’s just say Google had me at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, but look at all the writers who are buried there. Lousia May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathanial Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and the list goes on!

What does this suggest about Concord? To me, it suggests that Concord had a literary scene and/or a writer’s colony, which it did. Transcendentalism ring a bell? But why Concord rather than the next town over? Why, for instance, are there writer colonies in Fairhope, AL or Beaufort, SC? The obvious answer is that the natural beauty attracts artists and writers. Plus, if an author becomes well-known or even famous, the author puts the town on the map. This is what you encounter with the late Pat Conroy and the lovely town of Beaufort. Certainly, Sonny Brewer, whom I have heard referred to as the King of Fairhope, and Suzanne Hudson have created spaces for writers to flourish in their town of Fairhope. But I just wonder if there’s something more to these places, something you can’t quite put your finger on, that energy I alluded to earlier. It’s not just about going to a site where Harry Potter was filmed; I have some thoughts about the Potter industry. It’s about walking in the footsteps of those who marked out a path for us so that we can in turn do the same. I’ve included photos of my writing nook. This ground control for Major Dawn. I just can’t help myself. The key thing is that while I may do most of my writing in a converted coat closet, the real stuff happens outside. That’s what I want to uncover with “TripLit with D. Major.” I hope you enjoy exploring this topic with me and sharing your adventures as well.

So now that we’ve been properly introduced, see you in July.

Thanks for having me,

D. Major