Editor Gillian Kendall has brought together in Something to Declare a collection of impressionistic, literary travel essays that explore the sense of place and the pull of wanderlust, and reveal what happens when a traveler follows her heart. On these pages, established and emerging lesbian travel writers present accounts ranging from the poetic and internal to the exhilarating and life-altering.

Rather than reporting on places to stay, local fare, or politics, these women share personal stories of exploration and adventure. Lucy Jane Bledsoe and her partner camp out and negotiate their way through the Tierra del Fuego in “Fruits at the Border.” Lesla Newman’s “Bashert” tells the retrospective journey of a college graduate undergoing a simultaneous awakening of her sexuality and artistic talent while working on a kibbutz in Israel. Lori Soderlind’s “Hot Springs, Montana” describes her return?with the help of a native woman?to the place in Montana where her family once made their home.

Whether set in Italian changing rooms, a Cadillac hearse, an ashram, a medieval labyrinth, a wheelchair, or a kayak, and whether amid Japanese typhoons, Caribbean rain, or rare Irish sunshine, Something to Declare offers stories of reflection, challenge, and growth.