Zeren Earls
Bio:
A travel writer, Zeren Earls is a native of Turkey, who came to the United States in the late 50s for her college education. She studied psychology at Duke University, where she met her late husband, composer/media artist Paul Earls. Her immersion in the art world through her husband while a fellow at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT, led to her involvement in First Night in 1976. She was among the initial organizers of the Boston event and became its director in 1980. Pursuant to the event's major growth under her direction, she moved on to found First Night International in 1994. After assisting many communities in the US and abroad in initiating the First Night Celebration, she retired in 2002. Since then she has turned to adventure traveling and writing. Each year she travels to a country that is culturally new to her, China, Egypt, India, Morocco and Vietnam to name a few. In addition to her travels she has been writing her life story.
Recent Articles:
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Sri Lanka: Part Three Travel
Hill Country and Nuwara Eliya
By: - Apr 23rd, 2011Sri Lanka at its most scenic is the Hill Country with verdant mountains, colonial mansions and views of colorful Tamil tea pickers in the vast plantations. Nuwara Eliya is the city on the hill, known as "Little England."
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Sri Lanka: Part Two Travel
Dambulla and Kandy
By: - Apr 18th, 2011Dambulla and Kandy are major centers within Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle, which encapsulates extraordinary Buddhist art and architecture. Just to see Sigiriya and the Dambulla Rock Cave Temples alone are worth the trip to Sri Lanka. However, the region offers much more both in natural beauty and Sinhalese culture.
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Sri Lanka: Part One Travel
Colombo, the Gateway City
By: - Apr 15th, 2011The range of contrasting landscapes and cultures packed into this small island, the size of Ireland, makes it a fascinating destination. Colombo, the eclectic capital, rewards with its mix of cultures and sights despite its seeming chaos and crowds.
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Thimphu, Bhutan Art Exhibition Fine Arts
An Auspicious Opening
By: - Mar 29th, 2011The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan hosted an exhibition of fine art from ten countries on the occasion of their beloved King's birthday, while honoring International Mother Language Day and Language Martyr's Day of Bangladesh
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Letters to Iris and Leo by Zeren Earls Word
A Writing Style Invented by the Author?
By: - Dec 29th, 2010With this book review we recommend Zeren Earls' auto biography, which is subtitled: 'A Life Journey Through Continents and Cultures.' And that it is ! A rich tapestry: Growing up in Turkey; she was the first foreign student at Duke University; married an American and immigrated to the USA. Among other positions, she directed the organizations 'First Night Boston' and 'First Night International' each for ten years. Today, and for many years, she has lived and traveled in the US, Europe, and the world extensively.
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Bali Travel
Indonesia's Artistic Soul
By: - Nov 01st, 2010A treasure house of natural beauty and culture, Bali captivates with its untamed shores, casual lifestyle, graceful people, and colorful celebrations.
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Bangkok Travel
Thailand's Fascinating Capital
By: - Oct 01st, 2010Bangkok - City of Angels - is Thailand's largest city with its population of eight million. The sprawling capital is an intriguing mix of the familiar and the exotic, of old and new. Its magnificent temples and Buddhist local color against a modern skyline define its unique character.
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Cambodia Part Three Travel
Angkor and Tonle Sap
By: - Sep 26th, 2010Visiting Angkor, the imperial capital of the Khmer Empire, provides a glimpse into Cambodia's medival splendor along the embankments of temple moats and canals. The masterpiece of the urban complex is Angkor Wat or temple with ornate towers and exquisitely carved galleries. Floating villages and seasonal wetlands are the rewards of Tonle Sap, southeast Asia's largest freshwater lake.
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Cambodia: Part Two Travel
Siem Reap
By: - Sep 21st, 2010Siem Reap is the base for people visiting the nearby temples of Angkor. It is a bucolic town lining the banks of the eponymous river. Despite its rural surroundings, it has quickly become a modern city with luxury hotels and boutiques to accommodate the large number of visitors who fly in to see Angkor Wat.
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Cambodia: Part One Travel
Phnom Penh
By: - Sep 17th, 2010Cambodia's gateway, the capital city of Phnom Penh, is an attractive riverside city of broad boulevards and exquisite architecture. Despite the destruction of the war years, the city has retained its royal flair, along with some of the more beautiful legacies of French colonialism, as reflected in its buildings and cuisine. It is returning to its old grandeur thanks to rapid development and a viable market economy.
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Vietnam Part Two Travel
Mekong Delta
By: - Sep 14th, 2010In the south, the Mekong River nourishes and enriches the land as it empties into the South China Sea, making for the rich diversity of the Delta region: green rice fields, fruit orchards, houses on stilts, floating villages, bamboo bridges over canals, and all manner of boats and sampans on the waterways.
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Vietnam Part One Travel
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
By: - Sep 08th, 2010Within a languid tropical setting, Ho Chi Minh City pulsates with entrepreneurial spirit. It is a bustling city of ancient markets, modern shops, ornate colonial architecture, high-rise buildings, and rich cultural experiences, including many which provide insight to the war.
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Laos Travel
Part Three: Vientiane
By: - May 21st, 2010A crescent-shaped city on the banks of the Mekong River, Vientiane combines historic grandeur with modernity. A legacy of its royal and colonial past, it is a cosmopolitan city with wide boulevards, unique architecture and ethnic neighborhoods. As a result of rapid modernization, it is on the way to becoming one of Asia's major capital cities.
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Laos Travel
Part Two: Vang Vieng
By: - May 21st, 2010Laos has many mountains and rivers. Its mountain tops and river valleys are home to many ethnic groups. Our scenic bus journey to Vientiane took us through unique tribal villages and spectacular mountain topography with an overnight visit in Vang Vieng.
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Laos Travel
Part One: Luang Prabang
By: - May 13th, 2010Long isolated, Luang Prabang, a former royal city and monastic center on the Mekong River in Northern Laos is an unknown treasure in Asia. Ancient Buddhist temples, French colonial buildings, buzzing markets and an array of local crafts offer the visitor a rich cultural experience.
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Myanmar (Burma) Travel
Part Three: Mandalay
By: - Apr 25th, 2010Mandalay is Burma's cultural and economic heart. It teems with royal. colonial and sacred landmarks. Its buildings, rich craft industry and accessible location on Irrawaddy River for trade make it a lively metropolis.
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ACT Inauguration Celebration Fine Arts
Program in Art, Culture and Technology at MIT
By: - Apr 20th, 2010An afternoon of events celebrated the merger of the Center for Advanced Visual Studies and the MIT Visual Arts Program. Events included an exhibition, presentations and a demonstration by video/performance artist Joan Jonas.
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Myanmar (Burma) Travel
Part Two: Bagan
By: - Apr 14th, 2010Bagan leaves an impression indelibly etched in the memory with its skyline of 4000 temples and pagodas. Stretching across a large plain, these ancient structures dating back more than 1500 years, radiate beauty throughout the day, especially at sunrise and sunset.
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Myanmar (Burma) Travel
Part One: Yangon
By: - Apr 10th, 2010Myanmar is a country rich in culture, history, sacred sites and natural beauty. It sparkles with giant, gold covered pagodas, with the most famous ones found in Yangon, Bagan and Mandalay.
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Costa Rica Travel
Part Four: Tortuguero
By: - Feb 07th, 2010A key nesting site for sea turtles, Tortuguero is a narrow strip of land between inland canals and the Gulf of Mexico. This narrow band with abundant wildlife has nature trails, as well as river channels to explore by boat. Although an unseasonable monsoon limited our exploration, my visit to this remote area was unforgettable.
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Costa Rica Travel
Part Three: Guanacaste and Puntarenas
By: - Feb 06th, 2010Guanacaste, the arid northwest, stands out with a thermal area of steam vents, bubbling mud pits and pools of hot water, along with a dry tropical forest and spectacular sunsets. Puntarenas, in the central Pacific region, rewards with a river of crocodiles, colorful macaws and sandy beaches with monkeys.
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Costa Rica Travel
Part Two: Arenal Volcano and Cano Negro
By: - Feb 05th, 2010Viewing a mist-shrouded active volcano, hiking over hanging bridges through the rainforest and gliding through inland waterways teeming with wildlife are the rewards of this region.
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Costa Rica Travel
Part One: Central Valley and Sarapiqui
By: - Jan 31st, 2010Central Valley is a significant break in Costa Rica's mountainous backbone.With its rich volcanic soil and ideal year-round climate, it is a haven for people, flowers and plants. San Jose, the capital city, is the center of it all. The Sarapiqui region is steamy, tropical and carpeted with fruit plantations. Birds, bats and jungle plants thrive in its rain forest. River rafting is a highlight.
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Northern France Travel
Treasures of the Somme Region
By: - Dec 02nd, 2009From the bay to the valley, the Somme region of France offers diverse landscapes, including coastal treasures,fascinating cities and tranquil battlefields steeped in the memory of the Great War. Stunning Gothic buildings, grand chateaus, Belle Epoque architecture and charming farm houses dot the landscape.
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The Aegean Coast: Turkey's Magical Hideaways Travel
Part Six: Marmaris, Ephesus and Kusadasi
By: - Sep 21st, 2009Western Turkey with its fertile lands and prosperous cities, has attracted many civilizations since ancient times. Marmaris and Ephesus are two such cities: The former once a center for Carian civilization and now a famed resort, dates from 3000 BC. Ephesus, the second largest city of the Roman Empire, was an important center for the new Christian faith. Its archeological site includes a large theater with a seating capacity of 24,000, the restored library of Celsus and the residential district of the Terrace Houses.
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