Mike Bernhardt

Trusting the Smuggler’s Route

I have a new essay published by Hidden Compass!  Like my award-winning essay The Tides of War, it is drawn from the saga of my wife’s family during World War II.

This story concerns my wife’s mother, who was hidden in southern France with a hundred other Jewish children. In 1943, after her brother was arrested and deported, she embarked on a harrowing escape to Switzerland with the help of women who risked their lives to save her.

Trusting the Smuggler’s Route describes that escape, and it follows Yvonne and me as we retraced her footsteps during a trip to France last year.

Enjoy! And if you feel inclined to contribute to the patronage campaign you find there, I’d really appreciate it! Whatever you give supports both me and Hidden Compass.

The Tides of War wins Lowell Thomas Award!

My story The Tides of War, which was published in Hidden Compass last year, won first place in the the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards Special-Purpose Travel category! Sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation, the Lowell Thomas Awards are probably the most prestigious in the field of travel journalism. I feel truly honored. Here is the comment from the judges:

The discovery of a hand-bound book of preserved seaweed launches this journey through history that connects Mike Bernhardt’s family to “The Tides of War.” A question from his wife — “Why do you care so much about what happened to my relatives?” — resonates throughout the story as he peels back the tragedy of her grandmother’s life and losses. His attention to detail transports the reader through this poignant tale. It is an unexpected and moving travel experience.

The Tides of War, tracking WWII refugees and those who honored them

I am truly thrilled, and honored, to have a story I wrote published in the latest issue of a magazine called Hidden Compass. The Tides of War is about what happened to my wife’s grandparents AFTER they escaped from Nazi Germany and thought they were out of harm’s way, and about our journey to learn more about it, including travel to Ireland and the Isle of Man. It combines two things that are very much a part of my life: travel, and honoring grief. I hope you like it!

The Tides of War

Voices is a Five-Star Reader’s Favorite!

Voices of the Grieving Heart received a 5-star review from Readers’ Favorite, an independent review forum! Read the review below, or find it on the readersfavorite.com website:

Voices of the Grieving Heart by Mike Bernhardt is a compilation of work that allows a reader to meditate through the words of others during a time that is often the most difficult of our short lives. This is, of course, the grieving process following the death of someone we love. Bernhardt has carefully constructed this book with pieces contributed by other writers and artists, a collaboration that provides a range of touching entries that, in one form or another, readers of all backgrounds can connect with. Broken down into eight sections, Bernhardt gives readers poetic solace with pieces such as Dixie Pines’ heartbreaking ode to suicide in “How So?” to Maggie Jackson’s “My Next Love,” which depicts the defiant desire to love freely against the unrealistic determination to never feel pain again.

I had to set Voices of the Grieving Heart aside for the whole of last week as it touched upon my own grief following the recent loss of a loved one. It was my husband who started to read it out loud to me. Mike Bernhardt gave me a soothing ointment for the soul, and I am grateful for it. The artwork is gorgeous, with several pieces of photography by Cassandra English being the standouts. The sheer volume of contributors is mind-boggling with a headcount of eighty-three. It’s a tribe of individuals coming together as a collective in solidarity and in grief, but also in hope. It is permission to take all the time and space necessary to accept life, moving forward with a chunk of your heart missing, but also a bit of hand-holding so you know that when you are ready, there are others willing to listen. This is a beautiful anthology of work and I imagine many will find solace in its beautiful effort to help heal.