Wayne Curtis Email & Phone Number

I’ve written everything from longform features to short book reviews for a broad range of publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Architect, American Archeology, The Smart Set, Sunset, Imbibe, Men’s Journal, Canadian Geographic, American Heritage, American Scholar, enRoute, Via, Yankee, and the radio program This American Life. Online, I’ve contributed posts and stories to punchdrink.com, liquor.com, thedailybeast.com, Grist.org, travelandleisure.com, and others. Topics of interest have included the strange and disturbing history of the jackalope, how to invest in rare bourbon, the archeology of early drinking, why the London bar scene is the best in the world, the joys of travel in your own private rail car, why the monorail never caught on, and how to explore Havana today using a guidebook published in 1954. For a list of recently published stories or to read archived stories, visit www.waynecurtis.com.

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

I'm a co-founder (with writer Brett Martin) of Taste & Place NOLA, a writing workshop and experiential retreat for writers and lovers of New Orleans. This first workshoip will be Oct 5-10, 2024. It's designed for writers of all levels who have the drive to improve their travel and food writing skills. The workshop will feature in-class writing instruction, guided trips to see the New Orleans that most visitors don't, and discussoins with some of city's most prominent culture bearers, including geographer Richard Campanella, NYT food writer Brett Anderson, James Beard award-winning chef Melissa Martin, and award-winning travel journalist Lavinia Spalding.

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

The New Orleans Spirits Competition will launch in July 2022 in conjunction with Tales of the Cocktail, the world's leading cocktail conference. All producers of all spirits are invited to submit the best of what they make to be rated and critiqued by the best in the business.

Frequent presenter on the history, craft and science of cocktails, spirits, and bars. Have given presentations to groups from 15 to 150 on topics ranging from rum’s sordid history to how our tastes alter as we age, from the science and lore of the hangover to how barrels actually work (you’d be surprised). I cover the craft spirits and craft cocktail world on www.slowcocktails.com. I’ve also served as tasting judge at numerous cocktail and spirits competitions.

"The Last Great Walk: The True Story of a 1909 Walk from New York to San Francisco and Why It Matters Today" is a John Henry kind of tale, man vs. machine, exploring what happens when humans spend five million years learning to walk, then a century trying to forget what they once knew. Available through the usual channels. Learn more at www.lastgreatwalk.com.

Washington Dc-Baltimore Area

I’ve published more than 50 stories in The Atlantic’s print magazine since 2001, and was a contributing editor from 2005 to 2018. Between 2008 to 2014 I wrote the “Drinks” column, covering spirits, bars, cocktails, and the science of alcohol, and have also written regularly for the magazine about modern and historic architecture, travel, mailbox vandalism, the disappearance of “No Vacancy” signs from motels, and icebergs, among many other topics.

First published in 2006, this history of America's bottom shelf spirit had excerpts or adaptations appear in The Atlantic, American Heritage, and American Scholar. It was called "original and interesting" by Jonathan Yardley of the Washington Post, was featured in an interview on NPR's "All Things Considered," It remains a much-used text for semi-serious cocktail types. It was updated and re-released in 2016.

I wrote two guidebooks for Frommer's: eastern Canada and northern New England. I updated the guidebooks annually for five years, traveling frequently between Vermont and Newfoundland and points in between via 1985 VW camper, regularly visiting about 300 inns and hotels, and eating at too many restaurants. The kayaking and hiking was fun, though.