ABOUT

About Traci J. Macnamara

Traci J. Macnamara was born just outside of Seattle, Washington and then moved a few times at critical moments during her childhood.  As an adult, she finds herself geographically restless. Traci J. attended the University of Notre Dame, where she studied science and theology, but since then she has earned three master’s degrees (in education/theory, literature, and writing) and very little money (which she blames on her overwhelming interests in reading, writing, and the outdoors). A freelance writer since 2002, Traci J.’s writing has appeared in Vegetarian Times, Backpacker, LEO Weekly, the Patagonia catalog, and in Isotope: A Journal of Literary Nature and Science Writing.  Her writing is currently out in A Leaky Tent is a Piece of Paradise: 20 Young Writers on Finding a Place in the Natural World (Sierra Club Books, 2007).  Traci J. lives and works in Vail, Colorado.  

About “Down and Out: Adventures in Literature. Landscape. Life.” 

I thought to name this blog “Down and Out” after reading George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. I read the book while I was doing some research in Cambridge a few weeks after I had broken my ankle in Chamonix–an event that prompted me to consider what I would do when the $54.26 remaining in my bank account ran dry. In that moment, Orwell’s subject matter felt particularly relevant. I like how Orwell was able to capture in his writing the details of his life. Orwell was smart and resourceful–he wasn’t as down and out as the people he wrote about, and I sometimes wonder, myself, how possible it is to be truly down and out with a few decent job experiences and some master’s degrees. However, with interest ticking away on those student loans and constant temptation from The Road, my fear of bottoming out once and for all never feels too far away. For someone like me–someone who likes to read and write and run around in the outdoors–what does this world have to offer? This blog is an exploration of those things.