The Practical Provocations of a Roamer
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CAROLE GARRISON is a roamer. During the course of her life she has wandered around the world several times, worked and lived in SE Asia. In Europe, she relived Western history and her familial past. In Asia, she was intensely attracted aesthetically and spiritually to the region. Wherever she traveled, she connected to the people, to their culture, and to their dreams. Many of those connections have survived decades of time and distance.
Writing about her travels started as simple journals, ways to record make sense of her experiences. Not good with a camera, she used words to capture her journeys. As Carole developed an avid following for her roaming, her writings became more focused and polished until her adventures began to populate her blogs and books. And in time, she has taken hundreds of photos during her travels.
Announcing My Forthcoming Book

In The Wanderer, Carole J. Garrison fulfills her bucket list by meeting with the people who fascinate her and the places that lead her to them. Through her journeys, she explores the unexpected human connections that transform the experience of travel, and she celebrates the gifts of kindness she encounters around the world from the perspective of a solo female traveler. In each new place she visits, the nomadic Garrison keeps company with a cast of fantastic characters, each of whom opens her eyes to new cultural perspectives while inspiring love and laughter. The Wanderer is a heartfelt and honest memoiristic travelogue that invites us into the life and journeys of Garrison. Available Print and eBook. Publication date: November 15, 2020. Available for pre-order at University of Chicago Press.
Check Out My Blog
The world is in turmoil, and I have lots to say. Visit my blog from time to time (I post regularly), to check out my opinions and occasional rants.
Pulled From the Headlines
I get that other countries, especially those that we have helped cause to fail, become tyrannies, but how do you explain what is happening here in America? I can’t—can you?
Automatic doors and the Post Office: Letter to My Senator
I want to retain our postal service, and making access better for all citizens is one step in that direction.
The Unintended Consequences of Altruism
We are again trying to tie welfare to work … the last time the government did that without providing adequate day care the result was disastrous. Children left unattended, and worse abused by make-shift care-givers.
Praise for Carole’s Books
“The Tao Te Ching says, ‘A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.’ I would say this describes Carole Garrison perfectly. Her book THE WANDERER chronicles her journey around the world, often times as a solo traveler, seeking the joys of connecting with global friends made over a lifetime, experiencing some of the world’s most sacred, treasured and mystical sites, while at the same time, looking within to evaluate how she got there in the first place. It’s a journey of reflection, beauty, insight and renewed energy we can all benefit from.” ~Jana Kappeler, Kentucky Acrylic/Mixed Media Abstract Artist
“As an avid traveler, author, and editor, I set very high standards for the books I review. In short, this around-the-world journal is out of this world! THE WANDERER is not your typical travelogue. Rather, it’s an insightful, touching account of people and places written by an intrepid woman whose quirky approach to planning belies her superb attention to detail and understanding of culture. Don’t finalize your “bucket list” until you read this book.” ~ Lynne Willard, editor and author
“An inherently fascinating read from beginning to end, The Fourth Moment: Journeys from the Known to the Unknown is a candidly personal and deftly crafted memoir by Carole J. Garrison that is certain to be an enduringly valued addition to library Contemporary American Biography collections.” ~Midwest Book Review
“The Fourth Moment: Journeys From the Known to the Unknown, is in equal parts a woman’s travel adventure and a mother’s love letter to her children. With crisp prose and richly textured writing, Carole Garrison sheds light on Cambodia’s dark history, and also its beautiful culture, sharing stories of what it means to be a mother, a daughter, and a family in our increasingly global world.” ~Loung Ung, author of First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (2006)
Carole’s Got Merch!
I have merchandise available through my publisher, 2Leaf Press, as part of the READING IS GOOD FOR YOU campaign. My quote, “If you can read, the only limit to how far you can travel is your imagination” is featured on a t-shirt and mug. Hope you will purchase them to help support the press and authors like me.
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