Teaching at the University of Michigan
Teaching at University of Michigan
Soon after finishing the Knight-Wallace Fellowship,
where my research focused on the role travel journalism plays in
economic development of the tourism sector of former and current
conflict zones, and urban areas in transition, I was offered a lecturer
position for the Fall Semester at the University of Michigan in the English Department Writing Program,
teaching Art of the Essay, a junior level opinion/personal essay
composition class. It's been quite a fun semester, and was also a
learning experience in itself for myself as well. Politics of course
entered the concepts of the classroom, with Michigan figuring heavily
into the recent elections, a topic of discussion and inspiration for
writing for many of my students.
I am still in talks with various people at the University on creating special curriculum from my Knight-Wallace research.
University of Michigan Road Scholar
The University of Michigan also made me a Michigan Road Scholar,
a special travel program where select faculty will spend a week
representing the University and seeing the communities from throughout
the state of Michigan where we draw some of our students. More on the
program, in May of 2017, is here:
http://www.mrs.umich.edu/Current_Tour.html
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New York University Travel Writing Class
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Article Links
Now that the Fellowship ended, I am also easing back into the turbulent world of freelance journalism.
Traveling While Muslim for the New York Times
On election day itself, I had a New York Times investigative article looking at issues for Muslims and
those perceived to be Muslim traveling through airports. The article
was based on several months of research, with interviews from a variety
of rights organizations, government officials and ordinary citizens
passing through airports.
It is a topic I hope to continue to write on, as much of what I found could not be in one article.
The Springsteen Paradox for CNN - Understanding Trump and
the Middle of the Country - on the CNN Website and on TV with CNN's
Jonathan Mann
I
had been trying to write since the summer on what I was seeing in the
middle of the country speaking with underemployed workers shut out of
the economy through globalization, and how despite polls, it was obvious
Trump would do well in Michigan and other areas in the center of the
country. Many editors back in New York called me nuts - and then the
elections happened. I know this because I speak to locals, as a carless
person in the suburbs, and because, quite frankly, I come from Freehold,
NJ, the hometown of Bruce Springsteen, so I have always been aware of
working class issues. I wrote an Opinion piece for CNN called The Springsteen Paradox, examining this, after the elections, and it was one of CNN's most highly read Opinion pieces. You can read it here:
Here are the air dates and times (all times are US eastern).
Saturday, December 31st
530am
2pm
Sunday, January 1st
630am
930pm
Monday, January 2nd
5am
930am
Springsteen's Hometown Values for Gay City News
Another
piece I recently wrote on Bruce Springsteen and his new book, looked at
my time as Freehold High School's yearbook editor, where we duplicated
the famous butt, red baseball cap and American flag throughout the book,
to simulate his Born in the USA album, all while I was a closeted gay
teen. This was for Gay City News, and examines the various values of equality and freedom in Bruce songs. The link for that is here:
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Upcoming and Recent Lectures and Events
I
frequently speak on a variety of topics at universities and other
institutions. If you'd like to book me for a speaking engagement on
travel on more than 90 countries and all 7 continents, LGBT issues,
human rights, travel writing, war and conflict and other topics, please
send me a note at mtluongo@gmail.com or mtluongo@umich.edu.
Orlando's Pulse Nightclub and Speaking at University of Central Florida on LGBT Issues
More on the event is here:
While I was in Orlando, I also taped a special WUCF-TV/PBS show with John Bersia, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who heads UCF's Global Perspectives.
New York Times Travel Show
Friday
January 27 to Sunday January 29, 2017, I will speak at the New York
Times Travel Show at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. I
will moderate the Middle East panel on Friday January 27, and speak on
the Ethics Panel, on Sunday January 29 on travel to Detroit and other
issues. I will also be doing expert desk talks on the Middle East and
on Argentina.
My full details are here:
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Enjoy
the holiday season - it is amazing to think that at this time last
year, I sent my newsletter from the Holy Land, on a trip to Bethlehem
and Jerusalem - even if I do not consider myself religious, it was an
amazing experience to be there for Christmas, while also continuing my
research on tourism and conflict and how religion impacts that. I know
that I am lucky to be able to travel the world the way I do, and enjoy
so many experiences.
Thanks
for reading this, and again, let me know if you want to be removed by
emailing me at mtluongo@gmail.com or click the SafeUnsubscribe.
Feel free to send this along to friends and associates and to post any links from here on social media, whether Facebook or Twitter.
Happy Travels and Happy Holidays!
Michael Luongo
Follow me at:
Twitter: @michaelluongo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/michaelluongo
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