2018 Lowell Thomas Gold Award Winner - Best Travel Book Due North is a collection of travel observations, reflections, and snapshots spanning two decades across colors, cultures, and continents by award-winning travel writer and photographer Lola Akinmade Åkerström.
Praise for Due North
"It would have been enough for Lola Akinmade Åkerström to simply share her gift through her photographs. That she chose to also share her unique insights and the stories behind those incredible photos is our luck. In Due North, her curious spirit shines through, along with her journalistic abilities to quickly read the people she meets and attempt to understand each world she enters. With each story, you sense her initial feelings of "other" and move with her to notions of understanding. She brings a humanness to the page and you feel completely cared for as she guides you through immediately relatable stories in distant lands. This book isn't one you'll be able to read quickly. Each of these stories deserve a cup of tea and a Sunday morning."...Heather Greenwood Davis, Award-winning travel writer and contributing editor at National Geographic Traveler
"Lola makes you want more than just to explore the world. Her stories incite your desire to travel deeply, form connections with people, and live life with her openness and love for all people. The joy that is Lola's photography punctuates each gorgeous story from her life. It will move you as you can't help but think 'I want to go there!'"...Leigh Shulman, Author, writing coach and founder of Creative Revolution writing retreats for women
"Due North is a book of color, poetry, and love-a love for places, objects, and losing oneself in the greatness of the globe. Lola has a magic eye for all beauty, both simple and strange, and she shares it so well. This is an uplifting book made for all those who desire for more beauty in their lives. Surely, it is a gift to see the world through Lola's eyes."...Andrew Evans, Award-winning author, travel writer, and TV host, National Geographic Channel
Having lived on three different continents - Africa, North America, and now Europe - for extended periods of time, Lola Akinmade Åkerström is drawn to the complexities and nuances of culture and how they manifest themselves within relationships.
She holds a master's degree in Information Systems from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Lola worked as a consultant and programmer for over a decade before following her dreams of becoming a travel writer and photographer, exploring various cultures through food, tradition, and lifestyle.
Today, she's an award-winning writer, speaker, and photographer represented by National Geographic Creative. She regularly contributes to high profile publications such as AFAR, BBC, The Guardian, Lonely Planet, Travel ] Leisure and National Geographic Traveller - www.akinmade.com
She has received photography and writing awards, including recognition from the Society of American Travel Writers and North American Travel Journalists Association, to name a few. In addition,
Lola is the editor of Slow Travel Stockholm, an online magazine dedicated to exploring Sweden's capital city in depth (www.slowtravelstockholm.com).
She lives in Stockholm and blogs at www.lolaakinmade.com
