WIND ON MY FACE: MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

Like the seminal philosophical work- Robert M. Pirsig's “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, that inspired this collection, the stories, travelogues and poems in Wind on My Face: Motorcycle Diaries explore the philosophical depths that can be plumbed from the seem-ingly simple act of operating a motorcycle. Robert M. Pir-sig's enduring classic used a cross-country motorcycle trip as a vehicle for profoundly questioning the way we think about reality, rationality, romantic relationships, and the metaphysics of quality itself. This anthology takes a similar tack, probing the contem-plative headspace that comes from straddling a powerful machine hurtling down the open road, choreographing the intricate ballet of clutch, throttle, and brake through turns and straightaways. The writers here share personal epipha-nies achieved while immersed in the synergy of rider and bike. Some transcend the physical world entirely, finding truth in the harmonic resonance of engine and surround-ings. Others achieve clarity through high-stakes scenarios, narrowly avoiding disaster through a transcendent unity of mind and reflexes. But "Wind on My Face" also celebrates the sheer joy and abandon of motorcycling's kinetic thrills. You'll get your pulse pounding to tales of blitzing down deserted highways, leaning deep into canyon curves, and gunning the throttle through low gears. These writers exult in the elemental simplicity of the experience - the smells of ex-haust and roadside vegetation, the vividness of the passing landscape, and of course, the titular wind furrowing their faces. Of course, this being an international anthology which spans continents, many of the writers featured are not native English speakers and hence their writings have the district essence of the geography and culture they be-long to – and I have kept it that way!