And Speaking Of Craig Childs...

This announcement came from University Relations, University of Montana:

Author To Share Tales Of River Adventure

Author Craig Childs, UM's Kittredge Distinguished Visiting Writer in Environmental Studies, will host a reading and slide show about his September 2007 first descent of a river in Tibet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, in Turner Hall's Dell Brown Room.

At the presentation, titled "Lost in Tibet," Childs will share astonishing stories and images of running 200 miles of uncharted water through 17,000-foot mountains.

Childs is the author of "The Animal Dialogues," "The Secret Knowledge of Water," "House of Rain," "Soul of Nowhere" and numerous other books. His recent essays have appeared in Orion, High Country News and The Sun, and he is a regular commentator on NPR's "Morning Edition."

Reading It Real

Craig Childs, from Colorado, recently stopped by Fact & Fiction in downtown Missoula to read from his new book, The Animal Dialogues.

Rarely have I felt so completely drawn into a story read by its author. Somehow, Childs' voice and words conjured images of wild places and animals, and made the tension real, right there in the safety of a book store.

Childs is the author of nine books, including The Secret Knowledge of Water and House of Rain.

David Frey's review of The Animal Dialogues on NewWest.net

University of Montana English Professors Receive Awards

Congratulations to University of Montana Professor Deirdre McNamer, whose novel Red Rover won the 2007 Montana Book Award.

Penguin Group Red Rover reading guide.

A review of Red Rover from the New York Times.

A review of Red Rover in the Los Angeles Times.

McNamer was a guest on The Write Question on August 19, 2007:
http://www.mtpr.net/program_info/2007-08-19-308

And congratulations to Professor Casey Charles for receiving the Pantzer Presidential Humanitarian Award, and Professor Katie Kane for being awarded a research grant by the Montana Committee for the Humanities.

The Smoking Poet Spring 2008

The Spring Issue of The Smoking Poet is now available online. TSP publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, travel essays, book reviews, and interviews.

Russell Rowland, the new fiction editor, acknowledged the challenge of his postion: "I was a bit overwhelmed with how difficult it was to choose which submissions to include. Saying no is harder than I expected it to be."

But choose he did: Lynn Stegner, Mark Bastable, Kris Saknussemm, Lauren Baratz-Logsted, and Cynthia Graham, among others. He chose Sue Miller, author of The Good Mother, While I was Gone, and Family Pictures, as his "Feature Author" and posted a meaty interview with her.

(Russell Rowland was a guest on The Write Question November 25, 2007.)

The new issue also features a poignant nonfiction essay by R. A. Evans, a travel piece about Santorini Greece by Jeannie Dugan Sanders, and a review of Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, by Lundy Bancroft. The Feature Poet is Harry Owen, first Poet Laureate for Cheshire (England).

Kathryn Trueblood on the Festival Circuit

An article titled, "Rising in the West: The Festival Circuit in Washington, Montana,
and Oregon," by Kathryn Trueblood, was published in the most recent edition of Poets & Writers Magazine (page 63).

Trueblood, is an Associate Professor of English at Western Washington University.

Susan Wicklund's Story: This Common Secret

Montana Public Radio News Director, Sally Mauk, recently talked with Susan Wicklund and Allan Kesselheim, co-authors of This Common Secret: My Journey as an Abortion Doctor. Mauk's interview was part of the February 22 Montana Evening Edition broadcast on Montana Public Radio.

Click here to listen to the interview.

From an article posted at Salon.com on January 22:
"Wicklund describes her work as a privilege and an honor. But it's also a job, often a dangerous one. She has donned disguises to get past the protesters who scream and wave signs outside both her home and her medical office. She's worn a bulletproof vest and carried a gun. In some states, Wicklund is required to read abortion patients misleading, politician-penned scripts that refer to an embryo as an "unborn baby" and warn that the procedure can be fatal (with no mention of the fact that wisdom tooth removal is far riskier)." more...

Greg Patent Wows NPR

Greg Patent - cookbook author and Montana Public Radio "Food Guy" - recently garnered a spot on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.

Through the magic of technology, Patent talked with NPR national correspondent Daniel Zwerdling from a recording studio in Washington, D.C., while Patent whipped up a batch of Iraqi Cheese Sambouseks in his own kitchen. Montana Public Radio producer and recording engineer Beth Anne Austein captured the Missoula end of the conversation.

The following day, the Cheese Sambouseks arrived at NPR headquarters via FedEx. The program, broadcast January 27, includes sounds of Zwerdling and Liane Hansen biting into the Sambouseks, then moaning with delight. Here's a link to the story titled, "From Cannoli to Chapati: A Baker's Culinary Journey."

In addition to co-hosting "The Food Guys" on Montana Public Radio, Patent's considerable list of accomplishments includes writing eight cookbooks, appearing as a guest on national television and radio programs, hosting a long-term TV cooking show, contributing two columns a month to the Missoulian, and teaching classes.

Look for more information about Greg Patent, his recipes, and cookbooks at GregPatent.com
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Coming up on The Write Question during March:
March 2: Kim Todd
March 9: Roger Dunsmore
March 16: Swain Wolfe
March 23: Perri Knize
March 30: Rick Newby, publisher and Executive Director of the Drumlummon Institute

Listen to this week's program. Guest: Martin Kidston from Helena, Montana.

Thanks for stopping by. Send comments about The Write Question to Chérie Newman.

The Write Question is supported in part by The Greater Montana Foundation — encouraging communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans. And by Humanities Montana, enriching intellectual, cultural, and civic life for all Montanans.

The Write Question Team: Chérie Newman, Producer; Michael Marsolek, Executive Producer and Program Director for Montana Public Radio; Academic and professional advisers: Prageeta Sharma, Director of Creative Writing at the University of Montana; Kim Anderson, Montana Committee for the Humanities; Barbara Theroux, manager of Fact & Fiction bookstore; Renee McGrath, Director of North Valley Public Library in Stevensville, Montana.