Author Archives: Tania Casselle

Reading with a Writer’s Eye: Clues on Craft (for Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market 2013)

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Chapter in Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market 2013 (Writer’s Digest Books) by Tania Casselle.

“What’s your best tip for new writers?” That’s a question I’ve asked more than 50 authors in radio interviews, and they’re often quick to reply: “Read! Read a lot. Read with a writer’s eye.”

It’s advice that newer writers sometimes take with a grain of salt, perhaps suspecting that those already on the publishing ladder are just trying to sell more books. And even if we do take their advice, what does it mean to read with a writer’s eye? We don’t want to sound like someone else, we have our own voice and style. So how can reading other people’s work practically help with our own writing?

Chapter includes interviews with authors Pam Houston, Lisa Tucker, John Dufresne, John Nichols, Robin Romm, Tara Ison, Don Waters, Robert Wilder.

Taos Hum Column for Local Flavor Magazine

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Meet the people who make Taos hum in my monthly profiles column for the Santa Fe magazine Local Flavor.

→  Clip: Author and filmmaker Allegra Huston and rafting guide Cisco Guevara of Los Rio River Runners (May 2012)
→  Clip: Chef Karen Todd of the Dragonfly Cafe and Taos Pueblo photographer Bruce Gomez (June 2012)
→  Clip: Author Cherie Burns and artist/musician Frederick Aragon (July 2012)
→  Clip: Taos Pueblo artists Jeralyn Lujan-Lucero and jewelry designer Jacqueline Gala (Aug 2012)
→  Clip: Author John Nichols and fishing guide Taylor Streit (Sept 2012)
→  Clip: Literary muse Dori Vinella and balloon guide Ed Smith (Oct 2012 )

Santa Fe Guide for AOL Travel

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My 9,000 word city guide to Santa Fe for AOL Travel covered Santa Fe hotels, restaurants, attractions, shopping, nightlife, history, neighborhoods, and transportation, plus recommended itineraries for stays from one day to a week.

Read sections at these links, from the July 2010 AOL Travel City Guide:

→ Santa Fe restaurants

→  Santa Fe hotels

→  Santa Fe nightlife

→  Santa Fe shopping

→  Best things to do in Santa Fe

→  Santa Fe: Getting there and transportation

→  Santa Fe history

 

Urban Farm Road Trip: Albuquerque

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Urban Farm Road Trip: Albuquerque
by Tania Casselle for Urban Farm magazine

This Southwestern city draws on its agricultural roots and pioneer spirit to create a sustainable oasis in the desert.

As the largest city in New Mexico, Albuquerque has its fair share of strip malls and high tech industries, but it also enjoys a long history of families farming to sustain themselves. New visitors to the high desert often expect a barren landscape studded with cacti, and are pleasantly surprised by Albuquerque’s lush green band of bosque cottonwood forest snaking along the banks of the Rio Grande river. But while there are definite challenges in the more-than-a-mile-high city’s arid climate, today’s urban farmers in the Duke City continue the tradition of self-sufficiency.

My feature for Urban Farm magazine (Jan/Feb 2012) describes a thriving culture of backyard growing, beekeeping, backyard chickens, and community gardening, and the many organizations, festivals, and events for locals to tap into for support with their urban farming efforts.

A Boost for Botanicals (For FSR Magazine)

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The Ice Cream Bar, San Francisco

A Boost for Botanicals
by Tania Casselle

A swallow of sassafras, a nibble of nettles, or a thirst for thistles?  No, these aren’t requests on your doctor’s prescription, but some of the things you could be having in restaurants these days.  Botanicals are hot on menus.

Chamomile crème brûlée and herbed ricotta dumplings with nettles have graced the menu daily at Poppy in Seattle. Chef Jerry Traunfeld, who’s also the author of books including The Herbal Kitchen, says he uses botanicals like these because they’re delicious. Health benefits are simply a plus.

→  Full Clip at Rmgt Restaurant Management and FSR Magazine 

What’s New in Taos (for New Mexico Magazine)

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What’s New in Taos: Traditions with a Twist
by Tania Casselle for New Mexico Magazine

A small town with a big mountain—and a personality to match—Taos always offers something out of the ordinary. Let’s see what’s cookin’.

Read What’s New in Taos in full, online at New Mexico Magazine, March 2012.

Strictly Old School

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Old School Skills for Today
by Tania Casselle

If you’ve never canned produce, made your own buttermilk or soap, or gathered eggs from your backyard chickens, the Old School in Albuquerque could be the place to learn how.  The Old School offers classes in the kind of “frugal, traditional, and sustainable living skills” that our great-grandparents might have known, but that we, in our reliance on the supermarket checkout, have lost.

“Gardening is very spiritual,” says Chuck Alex, Old School’s gardening and composting teacher. “Having your hands in the dirt, nurturing the plant and then eating it, incorporating that into your body. Our society has lost touch with some of the hands-on practical DIY techniques, and people are really enjoying getting back in touch with those things.”

→  Full Clip of Old School Skills feature in the April 2012 issue of Local Flavor magazine.

Score the City’s Coolest Fun for Free (for Albuquerque The Magazine)

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Score the City’s Coolest Fun for Free

They say the best things in life are free. And, when they’re talking about Albuquerque, they’re certainly right. From magic workshops to museum days, from films to food, and even free books and bowling for kids, the city is full of bargains. Tania Casselle of Albuquerque on the Cheap gives the scoop on free (and nearly free) ways to have fun this summer.

My 2,000 word feature was for the Money issue of Albuquerque The Magazine, July 2012.

 

Albuquerque Road Trip

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Albuquerque Family Road Trip
by Tania Casselle

After enduring the first part of a cold winter and with spring still around the corner, make a break for it and hit the road to the Duke City. The family that plays together, stays together, and Albuquerque has plenty to entertain everyone, from a rousing basketball game, to high-flying balloon adventures, or a quiet moonlight hike spotting wildlife in the bosque.

Check out our picks for February family fun, and because Albuquerque is reliably milder than Rio Grande regions farther north, you might just decide to stay on till the thaw. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

Read the full Albuquerque Family Road Trip article to find out how to fight cabin fever with a weekend away. Assignment for Local Flavor magazine, February 2012.