Jill Robinson

Writer, Photographer, Adventurer

writing awards

Wrapping Up 2024

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A few years ago, I started giving myself time off from around mid-December until about the second week of January. I’m not always good at slowing myself down, but this particular tradition has been helpful—especially since many of my editors are taking time off, so why not join them in spirit? It also gives me time to reflect on my work for the year and consider how I want to move forward.

Last month, I received the 2024 Lowell Thomas Silver Award for Travel Journalist of the Year from the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. This award is given for a portfolio of work during a particular time frame. While I’ve never expected it, I’m grateful for the recognition. If you’re curious, take a look at the judges’ comments on my portfolio, as well as that of the other writers who placed in this category. It’s an honor to be among them.

Before I log off for the year, I want you to know about a couple of my recent articles:

For AAA Explorer, I covered my experience on a Hurtigruten cruise along the coast of Norway to Svalbard, one of my favorite places in the world.

For Via, I wrote about a weekend getaway in Salinas, California. Agriculture towns are some of my secret favorite destinations to write about. I get so much pleasure in talking with the people who grow ingredients for our tables and glasses (remember, wine is agriculture).

Enjoy your last moments of this year and I will see you in 2025, with new stories to report, of course!

An Overdue Update

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Lowell Thomas Gold Award

How are you holding up?

We’re eight months into the pandemic in the United States, and many aspects of our lives have slowed down and changed considerably. I’m spending some of my time catching up on things I’ve let slip in busier months (years?), including this update.

A couple of weeks ago, my profile of Gordon Ramsay and his Uncharted series for National Geographic won the Lowell Thomas Gold award for Culinary-Related Travel, awarded by the SATW Foundation. A few months before that, SATW’s Western Chapter awards were announced, and I also had some winners: North American Travel Article (Gold) for a Virtuoso Life story, International Travel Article (Gold) for a National Geographic essay, Adventure Travel Article (Gold) for a Private Clubs piece, and Food and Beverage Travel Article (Bronze) for the same Gordon Ramsay profile that got the Lowell Thomas Gold award.

In book news, I have an essay in the soon-to-be-released The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Vol. 12, from Travelers’ Tales. That book drops November 24, and you can pre-order your copy here.

I’m not going to exhaust you by listing all the articles I’ve had published since the last time I checked in. Here’s some news of note in the past few months:

John Muir, National Parks and Civil Rights: An Interview with Shelton Johnson for The Statesider. Shelton is an interviewer’s dream, with deep historical knowledge and poetic insights, and this piece is one of my favorites this year.

Bigger, Bolder, Further for National Geographic. Chef Gordon Ramsay’s second season of Uncharted is full of more adventure and culinary insights, and I was fortunate to travel again with him and his production team (before lockdown) for the second year in order to write this profile, as well as eight other articles for National Geographic about him, the show, and the featured destinations.

GuestLife Monterey Bay 2020. After having written for this annual magazine for four years, I edited the 2020 issue and wrote a few of the articles.

What Luxury Hotel Stays Will Be Like After Coronavirus, From Check-in to Check-out for  Travel + Leisure.

While I’ll be better on my update game going forward, I hope that things are looking up for us all by the next time I post.

 

Get a Look at My New Book!

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As quickly as it came, summer’s nearly gone. While I’d love to say I’m finally coming up for air from a hectic period of writing and travel, I’m still in the depths of it all. But the good news is that it means more adventures and even more articles.

Of special note this month: “100 Things to Do in San Francisco Before You Die,” my book with friend Kimberley Lovato for Reedy Press, is out in bookstores. And we’re out, as well, at a handful of events in the Bay Area this fall. First off, we’ll be at Book Passage in Sausalito on Thursday, September 13 at 6 p.m. Come on out to learn more about great San Francisco institutions you may not have visited, and buy a copy of the book. If you miss that one, a week later on September 20 is our event at Books Inc. in the Marina at 7 p.m. There will be more, as well, so I’ll keep you posted.

In August, I was awarded the honor of being TravMedia’s Travel Writer of the Year for 2018 at a spectacular summer shindig in the Napa Valley.

Other items of note…

Five places to spot birds in Half Moon Bay, written for the San Francisco Chronicle, is a good primer for birders and a great introduction to Alvaro Jaramillo, local author and expert.

The Trailhead at the Water’s Edge is an article I wrote for Sierra magazine about paddling on a portion of the 72-mile Lake Tahoe Water Trail.

Chihuly’s Tacoma turns industrial history into center for industrial art for the San Francisco Chronicle covers glass art in Tacoma, including what’s considered the “extreme sport of the art world.”

Empowering, Women-Only Trips Show a Hidden Side of Life in the Middle East for AFAR, covers new trips in Iran, Jordan, and Morocco offered by Intrepid Travel.

Road trips are getting an upgrade AND You can test drive a Model T, both for American Way, are great (and wildly different) ways to get on the road.

Smaller waves make Oahu’s North Shore a bigger deal with families is an article I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle about avoiding the badass big waves when visiting Oahu. Hint: The smaller waves are in summer.

And more articles to come, as always!

I want to see you and your adventures (big or small) on my new Instagram feed, @tinylittlevictories. Add it to your IG follow list and tag selfies with #tinylittlevictories *or* #tinylittlevictory to be featured. Tell me what gets you outdoors (even on the hard days), what makes you happy to be out there, or even what small accomplishment makes you proudest.

Pop the Champagne!

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An article I wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle in December 2017 has recently won a couple of writing awards!

Quest for the Gray Ghost: Tracking the snow leopard in Ladakh won an honorable mention in the Lifestyle category of the ASJA 2018 Writing Awards, as well as a Gold award in the International Travel category of the SATW Western Chapter 2018 Writing Awards.

In addition, there are a few new articles to add to my 2018 list:

You Don’t Have to Surf to Fall in Love With This Bohemian Moroccan Beach Town for AFAR.

Top 10 California parks: Little known wonders for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Inside the New United Polaris Lounge at SFO for Travel + Leisure.

More articles to come, soon!

Have you checked out my new Instagram feed, @tinylittlevictories? Add it to your IG follow list and tag selfies with #tinylittlevictories *or* #tinylittlevictory to be featured. Tell me what gets you outdoors (even on the hard days), what makes you happy to be out there, or even what small accomplishment makes you proudest.

A Fresh Start

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JKR Iceland. Photo by Andrea Johnson.

It’s a question regularly asked of working women.

“How do you balance your work and life?”

The simple answer is that you don’t. Instead of doing everything, you’re constantly re-evaluating what has priority in the moment.

For the past few years, my blog was low on that list. But now that I’ve relaunched my website, I’m posting again. Check back regularly for updates, or even sign up for my newsletter to find out what I’m up to.

In the past few months, my San Francisco Chronicle article on Hue, Vietnam, won a Lowell Thomas award (Honorable Mention) for Foreign Travel. I’ve also added many publications to my regular client list.

Notable articles from the past couple months:

Quest for the Gray Ghost: Tracking the snow leopard in Ladakh for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Good-Bye, Screen; Hello, Nature. 9 Adventures Worth Ditching Your Phone For for AFAR.

One Instagrammer’s Quest for a More Inclusive Outdoor Community for Sierra.

Stars and waves guide navigation the ancient Polynesian way for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Finland’s Sauna Tour Is the Relaxation Vacation of Our Dreams for AFAR.

2018 Vacation Alternatives After Natural Disasters for AARP.

Shaun of the Shred for Alaska Airlines’ Beyond.

These farmers are doing the impossible: growing fresh veggies in the coldest parts of the planet for Mic.com.

Stay tuned. Many more articles, as well as a couple of huge projects, are in the works.