Clippings

Kristina Manente

Travel, Culture, & Nerdy Writer

Kristina Manente is a freelance journalist, travel blogger, podcaster, and all around audio-nerd with a travel addiction and a fondness for cranberry juice. Her focus is travel, culture, music, and anything geeky.

Following her love of travel, she started The Nerdventurists, which provides guides and tales from around the world with a nerdy twist.

She’s been producing and co-presenting a Sherlock Holmes based podcast for the past three years called The Baker Street Babes, which was nominated for a Shorty Award in 2014 for Best Podcast. The BSB has been featured in the New York Times, The Today Show, USA Today, MTV Geek and more. It has 1 million unique listens and 100,000 followers across social media.

United States

Portfolio

K-Pop & Korean Music

SEOUL Magazine
01/10/2018
The Problem With Korean Music Award Shows
Music shows are plentiful in Korea. Award season makes this even more apparent as award show after award show is broadcasted and fandoms are pitted against one another in...
Korea Magazine
11/01/2016
No Ordinary Concert
A K-pop concert is a spectacle so huge, it must be experienced to be believed.
SEOUL Magazine
04/27/2017
The Lyrebird Quartet & Volstead Monday Night Jazz
Seoul and jazz music aren't two things you normally associate with one another, and yet there is a growing jazz scene in the city. Hearing the dulcet tones of saxophones and...
SEOUL Magazine
06/17/2017
Born In New York, Made In Seoul
When I walk in to interview K-pop group EXP EDITION, they are having a Korean lesson; notebooks are out, notes scrawled, and a patient Korean teacher was commending them for...
The Nerdventurists
10/22/2016
Musical Theater in Korea: Dorian Gray - The Nerdventurists
Living in a foreign country has its host of difficulties, especially when you don't know the language. However, I truly believe that music is international and you don't...
SEOUL Magazine
08/24/2017
A Breath of Fresh Air To An Old Art
The Seoul Opera Festival ran June 20 to 30 at the special outdoor stage at Cheonho Park and at Gangdong Arts Center in Myeongil-dong. The festival was a celebration of all...
SEOUL Magazine
09/05/2017
The (Re?)Rise of the Idol Band
There are new idol groups debuting every month at a rather alarming rate. The harsh judgement of time will reveal which make it through a year and which will fade into obscurity...
SEOUL Magazine
07/10/2017
Gummy Returns After Nine Years
Gummy is finally back with her fifth album, "Stroke." While she came out with a mini album three years ago and has graced many a K-drama sound tracks, hit series "Descendants of...
SEOUL Magazine
03/03/2017
J, Reborn: Welcoming back JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong with guitars and cake.
They say when an idol enlists in the military his popularity will plummet and he will be forgotten, that fans will flock to younger and newer acts. So, when JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong...

Travel

The Nerdventurists
03/12/2017
Getting An Illegal Tattoo in Korea - The Nerdventurists
The first thing to know about getting a tattoo in Korea is that it's most likely illegal. How's that for an opening line? See, tattooing is only legal in Korea if the tattoo...
Iexplore
01/06/2016
The Mongol Rally: the Greatest Motor Adventure on the Planet
You must drive from England to Mongolia in a 1.2 liter engine car or less. You must raise at least £1,000 for charity. You are totally and absolutely on your own. This...
Iexplore
Meet Jeju: The Hawaii of Korea
Jeju Island is a hidden paradise not known to many outside of South Korea. Crystal clear waters, volcanic beaches, and mountains rolling along the horizon, this is a destination...
Teach English: ESL
04/05/2016
Why You Should Consider Teaching English Overseas
Teaching English overseas is a great way to not only see the world, but also to build up your resume, which could lead to a challenging and exciting career. If you're from a...
Iexplore
04/03/2016
48 Hours in Tokyo
From robot cafes to ancient temples and shrines, the wonderful and wacky capital of Japan is a place everyone should visit at least once. With one of the best food scenes on the...
The Nerdventurists
10/06/2016
Quitting Your Job In Korea - The Nerdventurists
A few months ago I talked about how excited I was to be moving to South Korea. I was looking for a positive life change, going to a place where I could be creative and save...
The Nerdventurists
01/12/2018
Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Fishing Festival with Trazy - The Nerdventurists
It is cold in Korea right now. Very cold. I'm a winter person, I love the cold, but it's frigid out there, let me tell you. However, if it's going to be a tad nippy, might as...
Iexplore
The Wonderfully Weird and Wacky Museums of South Korea
Every country has a rich history that is cataloged and presented through museums. It's one of the best ways to learn about a place and get a taste of the local culture, rich...
Iexplore
02/23/2016
48 Hours in Seoul
Insadong is Seoul's cultural corridor, filled with tea houses, historical palaces, and traditional homes running up the hills. Take Line 3 to Anguk Station and head to the...
Iexplore
01/29/2016
From Buttered Corn to Soybean Powder: Kit Kats in Japan are a Thing
To date there's been over 200 unique flavors of KitKats released in Japan, here are some of the craziest.
Travel HerStory
10/06/2014
Best City I've Ever Gotten Lost In, Venice - Travel HerStory
Ah, Venezia! It's as beautiful as the photographs. It's so gorgeous and so enriched in history that it makes you angry. Surely no place can actually live up to all the wistful...

Nerd Culture

Very Nerdy Curly
10/26/2014
Rebranding Drama for Harvest Moon Series
By Kristina Manente If you follow me on twitter, you'll have noticed I've been tweeting a lot about Harvest Moon as of late. It's a series of games that my sister and I have...
Very Nerdy Curly
10/16/2014
What to Expect from TNT's The Librarians
I can tell you right now, there is no show I am more excited about than TNT's The Librarians. Think of Indiana Jones meets Supernatural meets a bottle of tequila, and you've...
Bakerstreetbabes
08/26/2012
The Validation of the Internet Fandom: Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Fandom and the Age of...
At A Scintillation of Scions V, I (Curly) presented a paper entitled The Validation of the Internet Fandom: Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Fandom and the Age of Tumblr. It...
The Nerdventurists
02/13/2017
Travel Nerdy! BBC Sherlock in Seoul: 221B Cafe - The Nerdventurists
In Korea there are a plethora of themed cafes to choose from, be it a phone decorating one or a sheep one or an airplane based one. But there was one cafe hidden away in Gangnam...
BuzzFeed Community
5 Peter Capaldi Performances To Watch Before The Premiere Of "Doctor Who"
So there's my five suggestions for you all who may be knew to your new Lord and Master, Peter Capaldi. I'm so excited for the premiere and cannot wait to see where the 12th...
An Englishman In San Diego
10/24/2016
Guest Article: ALSTON STEPHANUS Cosplayer Profile & Interview
In her debut article for AEISD, blogger and member of the Baker Street Babes Kristina Manente (@CurlyFourEyes) profiles a rising star in the world of cosplay, Alston Stephanus,...
Very Nerdy Curly
09/05/2014
Was Robin Hood Real?
The Doctor is going to Sherwood Forest. I feel ya Clara (though what are you wearing?) I love Robin Hood too. Vigilante types with a charming smile and the law unto...
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