April 12, 2007

Adventure writer on job's joys, perils

Freelance adventure writer Michael Behar — who has covered everything from wildfire fighting to satellite gorilla tracking and extreme kiteboarding to pirate treasure hunting — will discuss his unusual writing career April 19, when he delivers the 12th Annual Greg Hinderyckx Travel Writing Lecture.

A former editor for National Geographic and Wired magazines, Behar for more than a decade has covered adventure travel, the environment and science innovations. His lecture, titled “Misadventures in a Papuan Jungle: On Travel, Writing and Lessons Learned,” will take place at 5 p.m. at McCormick Tribune Center Forum.

In a career that has taken him to some 50 countries around the world, Behar has written for Popular Science, Outside, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, Discover, National Geographic and a host of other publications. His Outside magazine story titled “The Selling of the Last Savage” was selected for inclusion in the 2006 Best American Travel Writing Series.

Behar’s latest assignments have taken him to Peru, New Zealand, New Guinea, Costa Rica, Bali and the Seychelles. In New Guinea, he accompanied a group of wealthy tourists into the jungle in search of remote, “uncontacted” native tribes. The resulting article drew international media attention.

Behar’s lecture is presented in memory of Greg Hinderyckx, a graduate of the Medill School’s magazine publishing program and the late son of Northwestern theatre professor emeritus Les Hinderyckx.