Publisher’s Letter: The power of collective and a welcome to DETOUR’s two newest columnists

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  • Published on September 23, 2022
  • Last Updated March 10, 2023
  • In DETOUR Desk

DETOUR’s publisher Ron Stodghill on the power of togetherness for writers.

On the third Thursday of each month, DETOUR hosts a virtual gathering with its writers and content creators. We call these 90-minute sessions the Writers’ Collective, and the meetings are special not only because we have a good time loving and bashing media, but because we get to bond, at least briefly, with our writers. The irony of being a travel magazine is that, by nature, we tend toward working remotely. Collectives bring DETOUR together. It’s where I first met esteemed travel writers Faith Adiele and Renee Cherez, who launched their columns with us this week.

Faith Adiele is a leading figure in the Black travel movement, her award-winning memoir (Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun earned a PEN award) and essays are praised for their insight, curiosity and wit. A self-described “lover of food and disliker of nature,” Faith boasts numerous credits, includingEssence, PBS, Oprah Magazine, and HBO Max.

Check out Faith’s inaugural column and video.

Renée Cheréz brings a spiritual and global perspective to Black travel. An environmental activist, Renee is a descendant of the famous activist Marcus Garvey. She is also a former New York City preschool teacher turned world traveler who views escapism in a Black body as an act of defiance. As Cheréz, who spends months at a time trekking Southeast Asia, puts it: “I travel to be seen. I travel to be heard… with every flight, ferry, bus and train I board, every conversation I have, and every word I publish that people; locals and other travelers, not only see my Blackness, but my power, joy and magic.”

Check out Renee’s inaugural column and video.

Please join us in supporting Faith and Renee!

Until next time, safe travels.

Ron Stodghill

Publisher

This story was created by Detour, a journalism brand focused on the best stories in Black travel, in partnership with McClatchy’s The Charlotte Observer and Miami Herald. Detour’s approach to travel and storytelling seeks to tell previously under-reported or ignored narratives by shifting away from the customary routes framed in Eurocentrism. The detour team is made up of an A-list of award-winning journalists, writers, historians, photographers, illustrators and filmmakers.

This story was originally published September 23, 2022 9:39 AM.

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