Catherine Marshall
@zizzyballord.bsky.social
Journalist and travel writer | South African-Australian living on Kuring-Gai country | Itching to head off-map | Words + images in the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Financial Review, Qantas magazine, BBC and more | Instagram: @zizzyballord
She/her
She/her
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
Older technologies have aided and perhaps enfeebled writers. “But with A.I. we’re so thoroughly able to outsource our thinking that it makes us more average, too,” Kyle Chayka writes.
A.I. Is Homogenizing Our Thoughts
Recent studies suggest that tools such as ChatGPT make our brains less active and our writing less original.
www.newyorker.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Older technologies have aided and perhaps enfeebled writers. “But with A.I. we’re so thoroughly able to outsource our thinking that it makes us more average, too,” Kyle Chayka writes.
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
Vol 10 of our newsletter is packed with travel giveaways, the story behind @zizzyballord.bsky.social’s interview with Dr Jane Goodall, and a spring discount code for the Art of Travel Writing masterclass. Subscribe here: bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
#travelwriting #writing #writingsky #writingcommunity
#travelwriting #writing #writingsky #writingcommunity
October 7, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Vol 10 of our newsletter is packed with travel giveaways, the story behind @zizzyballord.bsky.social’s interview with Dr Jane Goodall, and a spring discount code for the Art of Travel Writing masterclass. Subscribe here: bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
#travelwriting #writing #writingsky #writingcommunity
#travelwriting #writing #writingsky #writingcommunity
Rest in power Dr Jane Goodall. What a legacy you’ve gifted us. 💔 [Photo from my interview with her in June 2017]
#janegoodall #conservation #conservationsky #wildlife #climatechange
#janegoodall #conservation #conservationsky #wildlife #climatechange
October 1, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Rest in power Dr Jane Goodall. What a legacy you’ve gifted us. 💔 [Photo from my interview with her in June 2017]
#janegoodall #conservation #conservationsky #wildlife #climatechange
#janegoodall #conservation #conservationsky #wildlife #climatechange
Yes, it once took me eight years to organise a press trip - and it was worth every last, lost minute. Read more about this and more in the latest edition of the Art of Travel Writing newsletter.
#writingsky #writingcommunity #travelwriting #writing
#writingsky #writingcommunity #travelwriting #writing
How to kill your famil, and why a solo press trip took eight years to arrange: some of the stories in the latest issue of the Art of Travel
Writing newsletter. We also have a tasty giveaway. Find out more here: bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
#writingcommunity #travelwriting #publicrelations #travel
Writing newsletter. We also have a tasty giveaway. Find out more here: bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
#writingcommunity #travelwriting #publicrelations #travel
August 28, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Yes, it once took me eight years to organise a press trip - and it was worth every last, lost minute. Read more about this and more in the latest edition of the Art of Travel Writing newsletter.
#writingsky #writingcommunity #travelwriting #writing
#writingsky #writingcommunity #travelwriting #writing
We safari-goers miss so much when we focus only on the Big Five. My case for the beguiling cast of supporting characters is in The Africa Edition in this weekend’s Traveller (Sydney Morning Herald and The Age).
#safari #wildlife #conservation #africa #travel
#safari #wildlife #conservation #africa #travel
August 16, 2025 at 12:38 AM
We safari-goers miss so much when we focus only on the Big Five. My case for the beguiling cast of supporting characters is in The Africa Edition in this weekend’s Traveller (Sydney Morning Herald and The Age).
#safari #wildlife #conservation #africa #travel
#safari #wildlife #conservation #africa #travel
Katrina Lobley and I have released our masterclass in the art of travel writing. Sharpen your creative impulses and hone your skills in this four-part online course - more info in the link below.
#masterclass #travelwriting #travelwriters #writingcommunity #writingsky
#masterclass #travelwriting #travelwriters #writingcommunity #writingsky
The Art of Travel Writing masterclass is here! Drawing on our combined 70 years in journalism, we lay bare the techniques we use to craft beautiful stories. We look forward to welcoming you!
#writingcommunity #writingsky #masterclass #travelwriting #artoftravelwriting
bit.ly/AOTW_Masterc...
#writingcommunity #writingsky #masterclass #travelwriting #artoftravelwriting
bit.ly/AOTW_Masterc...
Art of Travel Writing: a masterclass
Take your writing to the next level with our online course on the Art of Travel Writing. Unleash your creativity, enhance your storytelling skills, and stand ou
bit.ly
June 5, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Katrina Lobley and I have released our masterclass in the art of travel writing. Sharpen your creative impulses and hone your skills in this four-part online course - more info in the link below.
#masterclass #travelwriting #travelwriters #writingcommunity #writingsky
#masterclass #travelwriting #travelwriters #writingcommunity #writingsky
‘The drafts of art making will take on a significance … [they] might shield the artist against the threat to literature itself: the dumb cunning of the robot.’ - Luke Beesley
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#artificialintelligence #writers #writingcommunity
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#artificialintelligence #writers #writingcommunity
I am writing this with a pencil – it could be an author’s last line of defence against AI | Luke Beesley
My habit is quaint, I know, and there are downsides – but for those who value literature, the focus will shift to this: how do we prove we didn’t use AI?
www.theguardian.com
May 25, 2025 at 11:37 PM
‘The drafts of art making will take on a significance … [they] might shield the artist against the threat to literature itself: the dumb cunning of the robot.’ - Luke Beesley
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#artificialintelligence #writers #writingcommunity
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#artificialintelligence #writers #writingcommunity
I really look forward to the day AI starts taking over the jobs of its inventors.
#writing #reading #writingcommunity #voiceartists #audible #artificialintelligence #AI
#writing #reading #writingcommunity #voiceartists #audible #artificialintelligence #AI
May 13, 2025 at 11:20 PM
I really look forward to the day AI starts taking over the jobs of its inventors.
#writing #reading #writingcommunity #voiceartists #audible #artificialintelligence #AI
#writing #reading #writingcommunity #voiceartists #audible #artificialintelligence #AI
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
I didn’t give a wit about new pope coverage, but the first American pope being a man with Black ancestry born in Chicago by way of New Orleans by way of Haiti. Names his self after the pope who condemned slavery? In the Trump era? Oh, baebae, I am HERE for it.
www.wwltv.com/article/news...
www.wwltv.com/article/news...
Pope Leo XIV's grandparents were 7th Ward Creoles
The newly elected pontiff, born in Chicago, has ancestral ties to the city’s historic Seventh Ward, according to genealogists at The Historic New Orleans Collection.
www.wwltv.com
May 9, 2025 at 12:11 AM
I didn’t give a wit about new pope coverage, but the first American pope being a man with Black ancestry born in Chicago by way of New Orleans by way of Haiti. Names his self after the pope who condemned slavery? In the Trump era? Oh, baebae, I am HERE for it.
www.wwltv.com/article/news...
www.wwltv.com/article/news...
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
ICYMI: The ’fair use’ legal defence used by Meta and Anthropic last week against separate allegations of copyright infringement for training AI tools on published books won’t work in UK courts, according to the Publishers Association and Society of Authors 👇
Meta's 'fair use' defence for training AI with published books 'won't work in UK', says PA
www.thebookseller.com
April 5, 2025 at 12:09 PM
ICYMI: The ’fair use’ legal defence used by Meta and Anthropic last week against separate allegations of copyright infringement for training AI tools on published books won’t work in UK courts, according to the Publishers Association and Society of Authors 👇
“Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.” - Trump.
Hands up everyone who’s heard of Lesotho. 🇱🇸 (Kudos to those who can pronounce its name, high five for those who’ve been there.)
#lesotho #roofofafrica #africa
Hands up everyone who’s heard of Lesotho. 🇱🇸 (Kudos to those who can pronounce its name, high five for those who’ve been there.)
#lesotho #roofofafrica #africa
March 5, 2025 at 8:34 PM
“Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.” - Trump.
Hands up everyone who’s heard of Lesotho. 🇱🇸 (Kudos to those who can pronounce its name, high five for those who’ve been there.)
#lesotho #roofofafrica #africa
Hands up everyone who’s heard of Lesotho. 🇱🇸 (Kudos to those who can pronounce its name, high five for those who’ve been there.)
#lesotho #roofofafrica #africa
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
Do travel writers get paid to travel the world for free? And what's in a font? You’ll find our answers in the latest issue of The Art of Travel Writing newsletter. Not subscribed? Sign up here for free: bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
#travelwriting #travelwriters #writingcommunity #writingsky #masterclass
#travelwriting #travelwriters #writingcommunity #writingsky #masterclass
February 16, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Do travel writers get paid to travel the world for free? And what's in a font? You’ll find our answers in the latest issue of The Art of Travel Writing newsletter. Not subscribed? Sign up here for free: bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
#travelwriting #travelwriters #writingcommunity #writingsky #masterclass
#travelwriting #travelwriters #writingcommunity #writingsky #masterclass
I once boarded a plane for Manila when I was supposed to be flying to Yangon. And lost my library book in the process. Here’s my tale in Traveller (Sydney Morning Herald/The Age).
#travel #travelwriter #travelwriting #writingcommunity #writingsky #writer #writing
#travel #travelwriter #travelwriting #writingcommunity #writingsky #writer #writing
February 8, 2025 at 8:06 PM
I once boarded a plane for Manila when I was supposed to be flying to Yangon. And lost my library book in the process. Here’s my tale in Traveller (Sydney Morning Herald/The Age).
#travel #travelwriter #travelwriting #writingcommunity #writingsky #writer #writing
#travel #travelwriter #travelwriting #writingcommunity #writingsky #writer #writing
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
We could’ve had Tim 😭
February 3, 2025 at 10:25 PM
We could’ve had Tim 😭
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
I used to love reading dystopian fiction in high school.
Reaaaaally not enjoying living through dystopian reality as an adult.
Reaaaaally not enjoying living through dystopian reality as an adult.
January 19, 2025 at 6:47 AM
I used to love reading dystopian fiction in high school.
Reaaaaally not enjoying living through dystopian reality as an adult.
Reaaaaally not enjoying living through dystopian reality as an adult.
Lions, elephants & other endemic wildlife have reclaimed tenancy of Kariega, a tract of former farmland 10km (as the African fish eagle flies) upriver from Kenton-on-Sea. My story in the Australian Financial Review.
#southafrica #conservation #travel #writingcommunity
www.afr.com/life-and-lux...
#southafrica #conservation #travel #writingcommunity
www.afr.com/life-and-lux...
January 18, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Lions, elephants & other endemic wildlife have reclaimed tenancy of Kariega, a tract of former farmland 10km (as the African fish eagle flies) upriver from Kenton-on-Sea. My story in the Australian Financial Review.
#southafrica #conservation #travel #writingcommunity
www.afr.com/life-and-lux...
#southafrica #conservation #travel #writingcommunity
www.afr.com/life-and-lux...
I’m not a fan of ‘where to go’ lists but this one is thoughtful - and includes three entries from the woefully overlooked African continent (Angola, Benin and Kilifi in Kenya). Awareness is everything!
#travel #tourism #africa #africaisnotacountry #broadhorizons
#travel #tourism #africa #africaisnotacountry #broadhorizons
2025 Travel Destinations: 52 Places to Go This Year
Where will the new year take you? Kick-start your travel plans by selecting favorites from our annual list.
www.nytimes.com
January 7, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I’m not a fan of ‘where to go’ lists but this one is thoughtful - and includes three entries from the woefully overlooked African continent (Angola, Benin and Kilifi in Kenya). Awareness is everything!
#travel #tourism #africa #africaisnotacountry #broadhorizons
#travel #tourism #africa #africaisnotacountry #broadhorizons
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
"Rarely in my nearly 40-year career as a journalist have I felt the target on my back as continuously and intensely as I have in the last 15 months."
Phil Williams: In reporting on hate and extremism, 'while the attacks are personal, so is the cause'
Rarely in my nearly 40-year career as a journalist have I felt the target on my back as continuously and intensely as I have in the last 15 months.
www.newschannel5.com
December 30, 2024 at 7:59 AM
"Rarely in my nearly 40-year career as a journalist have I felt the target on my back as continuously and intensely as I have in the last 15 months."
Art Deco, Beaux Arts, Spanish Revival - these preserved edifices are the real stars tucked between the glitzy highrises in Downtown Los Angeles, as I write in the Sydney Morning Herald. #losangelesconservancy #losangeles #architecture #travelwriting #writingcommunity #writingsky #travel
LA Downtown’s hidden riches that reach for the stars
Skyscrapers and stardom were pies in the unsullied skies when 44 settlers arrived from Mexico in 1781 and established a pueblo in today’s Downtown Los Angeles.
www.smh.com.au
December 27, 2024 at 9:53 PM
Art Deco, Beaux Arts, Spanish Revival - these preserved edifices are the real stars tucked between the glitzy highrises in Downtown Los Angeles, as I write in the Sydney Morning Herald. #losangelesconservancy #losangeles #architecture #travelwriting #writingcommunity #writingsky #travel
To niche, or no? This is the question my @artoftravelwriting.bsky.social co-creator Katrina Lobley and I discuss in Vol 6 of our free newsletter, The Art of Travel Writing. Subscription is free: bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
#writingcommunity #writing #writingsky #travelwriting #travelwriter #masterclass
#writingcommunity #writing #writingsky #travelwriting #travelwriter #masterclass
December 18, 2024 at 4:50 AM
To niche, or no? This is the question my @artoftravelwriting.bsky.social co-creator Katrina Lobley and I discuss in Vol 6 of our free newsletter, The Art of Travel Writing. Subscription is free: bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
#writingcommunity #writing #writingsky #travelwriting #travelwriter #masterclass
#writingcommunity #writing #writingsky #travelwriting #travelwriter #masterclass
Travel writers ahoy! The masterclass I'll be presenting with fellow journo + travel writer Katrina Lobley in 2025 now has its Bluesky address. Follow us for updates and subscribe to our free newsletter.
#travelwriting #travelwriter #masterclass #writingcommunity #Writingsky #beautifulwriting
#travelwriting #travelwriter #masterclass #writingcommunity #Writingsky #beautifulwriting
Hello! We’re Catherine Marshall & Katrina Lobley, Australian travel writers. Sydney is home but the world is our oyster (sauce). In our upcoming Art of Travel Writing masterclass, learn how we turn this global wellspring into beautiful stories. Access our free newsletter here
bit.ly/SubscribeArtOf
December 13, 2024 at 3:02 AM
Travel writers ahoy! The masterclass I'll be presenting with fellow journo + travel writer Katrina Lobley in 2025 now has its Bluesky address. Follow us for updates and subscribe to our free newsletter.
#travelwriting #travelwriter #masterclass #writingcommunity #Writingsky #beautifulwriting
#travelwriting #travelwriter #masterclass #writingcommunity #Writingsky #beautifulwriting
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
Can we please make the term "Powered by AI" a kiss of death?
Jeez.
Jeez.
December 3, 2024 at 1:42 PM
Can we please make the term "Powered by AI" a kiss of death?
Jeez.
Jeez.
Reposted by Catherine Marshall
I love those 'prizes' from publishers that are basically what they should have paid to publish the piece in the first place.
December 4, 2024 at 6:45 AM
I love those 'prizes' from publishers that are basically what they should have paid to publish the piece in the first place.
Spotted on a recent multi-gen Botswana safari: an elephant teaching her newborn to drink. My story on this and other familial bonding moments is now out in the December edition of Qantas magazine. #safari #botswana #africa #travelwriter #writing #wildlifeconservation #elephantconservation
December 2, 2024 at 5:36 AM
Spotted on a recent multi-gen Botswana safari: an elephant teaching her newborn to drink. My story on this and other familial bonding moments is now out in the December edition of Qantas magazine. #safari #botswana #africa #travelwriter #writing #wildlifeconservation #elephantconservation