Colby-Sawyer College to Host National Geographic's Karin Muller
NEW LONDON, N.H., Oct. 26, 2010 – Colby-Sawyer College will host “Perilous Journeys,” a multimedia presentation by travel writer and filmmaker Karin Muller which chronicles her solo adventures through war zones, communist countries and dozens of cultures around the world.
The presentation, sponsored by the Cultural Events Committee, will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. in Wheeler Hall at the Ware Campus Center. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.
Muller, whose writing has been featured in National Geographic and Traveler magazines, has also published three books documenting her worldwide travels. Hitchhiking Vietnam: A Woman's Solo Journey in an Elusive Land follows her first expedition along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Inca Road: A Woman's Journey into an Ancient Empire documents her journey along the along the 4,000-mile trek from Quito, Ecuador, to Santiago, Chile, known as the Inca Road.
Muller's third major expedition, which took her across Japan, is chronicled in Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa. She defines Wa as “a transcendent state of harmony, of flow, of being in the zone,” a journey she embarked on in search of a fresh perspective. During this expedition, she lived with a pre-Buddhist ascetic cult in Japan, joined a samurai mounted archery team, and completed a 1,300 kilometer pilgrimage around Shikoku.
In addition to achievements as a travel writer, Muller has documented her travels in film for the National Geographic Channel, PBS and MSNBC Explorer. She is also an expert lecturer on Japan for the National Geographic Society.
Muller cites her youth and years in the Peace Corps as the driving force behind her adventurous travels. Born in Switzerland, she spent her childhood living in the United States, Puerto Rico and Australia. After her post-college term as a volunteer in the Peace Corps, she spent a short amount of “miserable” time engaged to be married and working at a management consulting firm. She soon broke off her commitments and packed her bags for Vietnam with the dream of becoming a travel writer.
Although she has found success as a filmmaker and travel writer, Muller says she wrestles with fears of not finding the stories she sets out to discover or that her next work won't measure up to her previous publications. To reach her current level of success, she admits to sacrificing comfort, financial stability and any hope of starting her own family. Yet she is driven to explore the world and chronicle her often perilous, yet ultimately deeply rewarding, journeys.
To learn more about Karin Muller, visit www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/experts/karin-muller/detail. For other upcoming events at Colby-Sawyer, visit www.colby-sawyer.edu/events
Colby-Sawyer College is a comprehensive college that integrates the liberal arts and sciences with professional preparation. Founded in 1837, Colby-Sawyer is located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire.
Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000
