For Immediate Release
Contact: Susie Tennant
(206) 652-4255 ext. 0
Town Hall Presents
Rick Steves: Travel as a Political Act
Seattle, WA, August 9, 2007 — Edmonds-based travel writer, PBS host, and businessman, Rick Steves has spent a third of the last twenty-five years traveling in Europe. Steves believes that thoughtful travel is a powerful way for Americans to broaden their perspectives and become better citizens of the world. Just back from his latest travels, Steves will explore how his social activism grows naturally out of his travel experiences. He will be on hand after the talk for questions and book signing.
Steves advocates smart independent travel. Over the past 15 years, Steves has hosted over 100 travel shows for public television (most still airing in rebroadcasts), and numerous pledge specials. Steves’ relationship with public television began with his first series, Travels in Europe with Rick Steves. Since then, he has become one of public television's top pledge drive hosts, raising millions of dollars annually for stations across the U.S. His current Rick Steves' Europe TV series has grown to 70 half-hour shows carried by over 300 public television stations annually, reaching 95 percent of U.S. markets.
Steves recently launched a weekly public radio program, Travel with Rick Steves. Focusing on world travel, each hour-long program has a guest travel expert for interviews, followed by call-ins with questions and comments. This show airs across the country and has spawned a popular podcast.
Steves self-published the first edition of his travel skills book, Europe Through the Back Door, in 1980. He has written 12 country guidebooks, nine city and regional guides, six phrase books, and co-authored Europe 101: History and Art for Travelers. His Italy guidebook is the best-selling international guidebook in the U.S. In 1999, he tackled a new genre of travel writing with his anecdotal Postcards from Europe, recounting his favorite moments from 25 years of travel.
In addition to his guidebooks, Steves is a syndicated newspaper columnist with the Tribune Media Services and is a regular on the op-ed page of USA Today. He appears frequently on television, radio, and the internet as the leading authority on independent European travel.
Steves studied at the University of Washington, where he received degrees in Business Adminstration and European History. He employs 80 people at his Europe Through the Back Door headquarters in Edmonds.
About Town Hall
Town Hall is a multi-disciplinary arts and cultural center in downtown Seattle, hosting over 375 events annually ranging from political appearances to science lectures, from world music to family concerts. Town Hall exists to reflect and inspire this city's best impulses — towards creativity, empathy, expansive thinking, and an ever-evolving idea of community. The organization grew collaboratively out of the need for small- and mid-sized organizations to have a common venue with a central location, stable prices, prime dates for booking, fine acoustics, and ample support spaces.
Who: Rick Steves
What: Travel as a Political Act
Where: Town Hall, enter on Eighth Avenue
When: Thursday, September 13 at 7:30 pm
How much: Tickets are $5 at the door. Town Hall members receive priority seating.
For more information: www.townhallseattle.org