“When I quit my job at a mid-sized newspaper in New Jersey to write for a pornographic magazine in Manhattan, my parents were dismayed. But you were doing so well, my father said. You were heading straight for the New York Times! The New York Times did not know I existed. What he meant was, I was doing something meaningful with my life. I had purpose. Not like when I was working as an actor, performing for half-empty houses in black box theatres. I’d had plenty of purpose then too, but it did not manifest itself in regular paychecks”

Captive

Saranac Review

How Writing Can Save Your Life

A KIDNAPPING. A SUICIDE BOMBER. A PANDEMIC. I WRITE MY WAY THROUGH IT ALL

I was six months pregnant with my daughter when I was held hostage at gunpoint in the mountains of Yemen. I had lived in Yemen for three and a half years by then, hiking in the mountains at least once a week, and had always felt safe. That morning, I walked with four other women, from four other countries, in an area that was supposed to be trouble-free. It was the president’s home territory.

Exile in the Andes

Jewish Book Council

On an oth­er­wise unevent­ful after­noon in 1975, John Gel­ern­ter was walk­ing through the streets of his home­town of La Paz, Bolivia, when he saw a famil­iar face.

Ter­ri­fy­ing­ly familiar.

“That’s Klaus Bar­bie,” he told the French col­league walk­ing with him.

Writing Tips from J. Steil, author of The Ambassador’s Wife

We know readers tend to be writers too, so we feature writing tips from our authors. Who better to offer advice, insight, and inspiration than the authors you admire? They’ll answer several questions about their work, share their go-to techniques and more. Now, get writing! 

6 great books about living abroad

For her first novel, The Ambassador's Wife, journalist, author, and former senior editor of The Week Jennifer Steil drew on her experiences as a diplomat's spouse in the Middle East.

My First Bodyguard

I had been living in Yemen for about two years when I got my first bodyguard. It felt significant. I had been engaged to Tim, the British ambassador to Yemen, for months, but hadn’t yet been assigned a bodyguard of my own. {…}

The Sunday Rumpus Essay: An enemy to no man but himself.

I was still reeling from the news that my ex-boyfriend was dead when his mother told me that what had killed him, at 41, was a lethal dose of crack and alcohol.

Snake Shots and Salsa — The Perfect Night Out in La Paz

Chances are, you can’t get higher on a night out than you can in La Paz, Bolivia. At close to 12,000 feet above sea level, La Paz is the world’s highest de facto capital city. In this spot cradled by jagged Andean peaks, there’s a lot less oxygen and alcohol goes a lot further. 

Sound and Fury

A few days ago I walked into my locker room at the gym to find a teenage girl putting makeup on at the mirror. She had spread out a few dozen tubs of powders and creams and plugged in her iPod on the counter next to her. 

YEMEN: Descending into despair

SANA’A—It’s 2009. Dust from the recent bombings still hangs in the warm air of Sa’dah, a city 113 miles north of Yemen’s capital, just shy of the frontier with Saudi Arabia and the vast desert known as the Empty Quarter. A five-year-old girl stands crying in the street.

Remnants of twin towers find role in London 9/11 memorial

LONDON — The grass-carpeted grove of trees just inside the Rosary Gate of Battersea Park is known as the American Ground. When the park was created in the 1850s, it was planted with North American trees and shrubs.

William and Kate's romance obsesses Brits

LONDON | “Kate has chosen her bridesmaids!” “Harry to be William’s Best Man!” Those breathless headlines are what pass for breaking news in Britain these days, as the nation is in full throes of its latest royal obsession — the upcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The Yemen I know

There is an old joke about Yemen, told to any traveler who sticks around long enough: “Noah came back to Earth recently, curious to see how it had evolved since his time. In a private jet on loan from God, he first flew over France and said, ‘My! Look at France! How it has changed! What exciting new architecture! What amazing innovation!’ He then flew over Germany. ‘Incredible! I would hardly recognize it! So much new technology! Such thrilling industry!’ And then he headed to southern Arabia. ‘Ah, Yemen,’ he said fondly. ‘I’d know it anywhere. Hasn’t changed a bit.’ ”

Prince William, Catherine Middleton wed as Britain celebrates

LONDON — Cold weather and the threat of rain did nothing to deter thousands of people from pouring into Hyde Park Friday to celebrate the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton in true British style.

Unlikely U.K. government coalition holds fast

When none of Britian’s political parties won the 326 parliamentary seats needed for an outright majority in last May’s general elections, the Conservatives, who won the most votes, were compelled to wed an unlikely partner - the Liberal Democrats, Britain’s third-biggest party - in order to form a government.

Royal wedding bells fall on deaf ears

LONDON | When Prince William marries Catherine Middleton, all Britons should be celebrating, or so says Prime Minister David Cameron, who has been working hard to whip up public enthusiasm for the extravaganza.

Mutige Frauen stellen den Jemen auf den Kopf

Frauen im Jemen haben seit Beginn der Proteste nicht nur teilweise ihren Schleier abgelegt, sie halten auch Vorträge und legen sich mit Islamisten an.