32 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY January 19-25, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com CULTURE Are you curious about the world but can’t or don’t want to leave this beautiful county? James Michael Dorsey has your back. He has traveled to 56 countries and visited more than 100 isolated cultures and now lives in Marina. And Dorsey brings stories from those travels to a six-month-long lecture series at the Monterey Public Library. “I will be talking about China and Papua New Guinea,” he says about the inaugural “travelogue,” set to take place on Friday, Jan. 20. Papua New Guinea is really two separate nations, Dorsey says, mentioning 800 different languages (languages, not dialects) that comprise an extremely diverse culture in a population of about 9 million, over 150 tribes. “Anybody who is interested in travel should come,” the self-described documentarian of remote culture says. For Dorsey, it all started with a longtime career as a mailman that provided him with generous vacation time to travel with his wife. Their first big trip was a journey through 12 countries in Europe—just the two of them in a tent. But quickly they found mainstream destinations not exciting enough, and in 1996, on their 25th wedding anniversary, they ventured for a kayaking trip through British Columbia, despite having never kayaked before. Dorsey’s journeys since would be better described as explorations. And that is how he perceived himself at first—as an “amateur explorer”—who with time turned into a pretty professional explorer, with four books under his belt (his latest, Lagoons, is coming this May), articles in Los Angeles Times and BBC, and speaking engagements. His specialty is “off-the-beaten-path” locations “where other people don’t go.” Each lecture in the “Before They Vanish” series will be an hour long. Dorsey will narrate and show photos, and then answer questions from the audience. He will have his books available for sale and signing. “I’m interested in how the rest of the world lives,” he explains his motivation for stepping off the beaten path. “Differences between cultures are very profound,” he says, but at the bottom of it, “we all are just people. We all love our families and we love our children. That’s the same everywhere.” Before They Vanish 5-6pm Friday, Jan. 20. Then each third Friday of the month, January through June. Monterey Public Library’s Community Room, 625 Pacific St., Monterey. Free. Advanced registration is required at bit.ly/3R1rogp. JAMES MICHAEL DORSEY Vicarious Journey Travel around the ancient world in 180 days, with self-styled documentarian James Michael Dorsey. By Agata Pop˛eda James Michael Dorsey with the Hadzabe people in Tanzania. They are one of the last hunter-gatherer tribes left. This photo was on the cover of his book Baboons for Lunch. Be WELL Be SAFE Be HEALTHY Be HAPPY Cornucopia Community Market offers quality nutritious and environmentally safe products, free of artificial additives and preservatives. Our produce is always fresh and organic. Come to Cornucopia, you deserve it! Open Mon.–Fri. 9am-7pm Sat. and Sun. 10am-6pm 831-625-1454 • 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd, Carmel at the mouth of Carmel Valley TIP OF THE WEEK! Has your rental unit experienced damage as a result of the recent storms? Be sure to communicate that with your landlord so that timely repairs can be made. If you have questions, call us. We are here to help. 831.899.0492 Legal Services for Seniors Kellie D. Morgantini Interim Executive Director Legal Services for Seniors is a 501(c)(3) organization. 42 years
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==