author bri lee on her aweventurer trip to egypt
bri lee is an australian non-fiction author and novelist. her first novel, the work, was published in april 2024. bri is best known for her non-fiction works who gets to be smart (2021), eggshell skull (2018), and beauty (2019).
bri has a long list of nominations & awards, most recently awarded the pedestrian TV’s 2024 litty committee award for young writer of the year.
bri recently hosted our writer’s expedition in egypt and is currently hosting another expedition in sri lanka.
bri lee with her group at abu simbel
what drew you to run a trip in egypt?
like a lot of australians, i grew up learning about ancient egypt in school, and watching the mummy, and being obsessed with all things archeology. then, as an adult, i watched the arab spring from afar and gradually learned about egypt's geopolitics. i wanted to travel there with the right group of people - readers who wanted to understand both old and new egypt.
what did you learn on this trip and how did it transform your perspective?
it was fascinating to learn about all the layers of history being in the one place, for better and worse; the greek pharaohs, the waves of occupation... all of these influences of ancient and modern history converging and mixing in specific locations. it blew our minds.
what surprised you on your journey?
egypt should be running travel pr campaigns for their amazing food! every meal was a phenomenal experience. we all knew we would see amazing history and hear amazing stories, but i don't think any of us realised just how excellent egyptian cooking is. koshari might be my death row meal now.
“it was fascinating to learn about all the layers of history being in the one place, for better and worse; the greek pharaohs, the waves of occupation... all of these influences of ancient and modern history converging and mixing in specific locations. it blew our minds.”
can you tell us how you hatched the perfect plan for a murder mystery on the nile, and the friendships made on the trip?
ha! full credit to my friend and fellow traveller nikki (who also joined us in turkiye) who has experience running dungeons & dragons games. she was the real mastermind. we split the story into three parts, i was the detective, and as a curveball we killed me off in part . the fake blood still won't come out of my linen jacket.
what books would you recommend for travellers to read before they go to egypt?
if an egyptian cannot speak english by noor naga (fiction), and a world beneath the sands by toby wilkinson (nonfiction).
bri lee with her group sailing on a traditional felucca down the nile
what precious items did you bring home with you from egypt?
my cliché tourist tshirt from aswan is very special to me! but also, some exceptional scarves and an embroidered cape from habiba handweaving in luxor - a social enterprise that employs lots of local women.
what was the best meal you had in egypt?
koshari. koshari. koshari.