Woman of the Week: HOLLY MORRIS

Our Woman of the Week this week is Holly Morris, co-founder of Adventure Divas, Inc., writer/director/host/exec producer and all around creative heavy of Adventure Divas, the award-winning PBS documentary series. Since many of us have begun planning our spring and summer vacations, I thought it a great time to talk to Holly, a woman through whom I'd like to live vicariously. "Whether interviewing Prime Ministers on the hot seat, or Black Panthers on the lam — in the brothels of Mumbai, the cane fields of Cuba, or the beauty parlors of Iran — Morris chases down her subjects and exacts a story that is fresh and idea-driven — if not always graceful." Her writing and reporting offers a mix of politics, irony and social activism that has garnered acclaim from the audience and critics alike. Her latest book is Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for a New Kind of Heroine.

Morris also works as a correspondent for the television series' "Outdoor Investigations," "Lonely Planet Treks in America," "Treks in a Wild World," and "Globe Trekker" and "National Geographic Today." In one program or another, she has scaled the Matter horn and lassoed reindeer in sub-zero Lapland; ate rat in Arunachal Pradesh, fended off jealous elephants in India's Andaman Islands, entered a camel race against Tuareg Nomads in the middle of Niger's Sahara, and flicked off endless numbers of Indonesian leeches. A public speaker and writer, Morris' literary work is widely anthologized and she contributes to numerous publications including The New York Times and Bitch and Outside magazines. She is the only woman I've ever met who has an affinity for fly fishing, so much so that she's published two books on the subject - A Different Angle and Uncommon Waters.

WOTW: How did your career begin?
Holly: I was a book editor in Seattle for many years at an independent company called Seal Press. There I edited, among other things, a series of titles about women and adventure called Adventura Books. Now, I have a multi-media production company called Adventure Divas (www.adventuredivas.com). We produce documentaries for PBS and other broadcasters. We also do Adventure Diva Tours, which is an international tour company (Peru, India and New Zealand are on the docket) that takes people around the world in the high-spirited, pro-woman spirit that was initially reflected in our PBS series.


WOTW: What do you like best?
Holly: The freedom. Working with ideas, politics and topics I care about; working with people I admire.

WOTW: When did you realize you were slightly more adventurous than the other kids?
Holly: I guess I always knew I was not built for the culture of my suburban youth when I found myself in the woods more than the mall. But all in all, I was a pretty regular kid with a regular childhood. I wasn't building globes at 5 or anything like that…

WOTW: Was there a family member or role model that encouraged or influenced you?
Holly: Well, I can't call to mind any specific role models or mentors, but I did have a pretty fabulous grandmother who I went fishing with in the NW every summer. She could deliver a political diatribe and land a wiley cutthroat in one fell swoop. She was my biggest cheerleader – so I guess it seems critical to have the one unconventional person who is crazy for you, and will support you unconditionally.

WOTW: Can you pick one adventure that you might consider to be the most amazing?
Holly: I've been lucky to have a lot of amazing adventures. One pivotal one was walking across a part of the Sahara with Tuareg Nomads on salt caravan. Their ancient way of life combined with the transformative nothingness of the desolate Sahara was incredible. It's hard to explain…but that experience brought clarity like none other. The experience is an entire chapter in my book.

WOTW: What is the hardest thing for you to accomplish?
Holly: Staying organized while leading an on-the-road, multi-faceted life and career.

WOTW: Of what are you most proud?
Holly: That our work helps transform the images of women in the media and offers a possibility-based (not fear-based) idea of what one's life can be. And we do it all with a sense of humor.

WOTW: If you could change one thing in our world, what would it be?
Holly: Oh gosh. Dismantle the patriarchy? Or maybe just make Snickers bars available at movie theaters.

WOTW: What book would you want to have with you on the deserted island?
Holly: The Bone People by Keri Hulme

WOTW: What advice would you share with people trying to marry work with adventure?
Holly: Don't worry about failure (it will happen, you will survive) and charge forth. Turn all that energy we use fearing into potential.


WOTW: What's next?
Holly: In May we're offering an amazing trip to Peru in which we'll explore the Amazon, hike up to Machu Piccu, and meet some of Peru's most inspiring women. Check it out: www.adventuredivas.com/tours/. Are you ready for your next adventure?

If you'd like to nominate a special Woman of the Week, please email me at marilyn@phillynews.com, or mailto:marilynrussellpr@gmail.com