Winter 2023
Searching Brightness
Gabriel Fielding, nom de plume of former WSU professor and author Alan Gabriel Barnsley, is brought back from obscurity. » More ...
Author
Fall 2023
Fancy Dancer: Q&A with adventurer and author John Roskelley
Fancy Dancer and the Seven Drums, John Roskelley’s first novel, traces its origins to the 1967 Omak Stampede, when a similar but more streamlined story first came into his mind. Here, Roskelley (’71 Geol.) discusses the roots of the narrative, his writing process, other works, and more.
Where did the idea for the book come from? Is it rooted in or inspired by any true events in your real life?
The idea for Fancy Dancer and the Seven Drums morphed from an early personal interest in central Washington’s unique place in American history to a more realistic focus on the diversity and lives … » More …
Summer 2023
No obstacles for this global nomad
Tom Haig (’09 Comm.) loves adventure. From his high-flying diving days of youth to his recovery from a bicycling accident that left him paralyzed, Haig keeps on moving.
He chronicles his life, struggles, and triumphs in a new memoir from Basalt Books, Global Nomad: My Travels through Diving, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Haig writes with wit and candor about the ups and downs of adventure, culminating in his new career as a documentary filmmaker.
In this episode, Haig talks with Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark about reinventing his life, writing his book, and where he’s going next.
» More …
Summer 2023
Call of a wild curiosity
Scott Shigeoka wants everyone to get curious. » More ...
Spring 2023
Empire of Ice and Stone: A chat with author Buddy Levy
The treacherous Arctic is the setting of a harrowing true story of shipwreck, disaster, and survival in the early twentieth century. Acclaimed adventure writer Buddy Levy, also a creative writing and English professor at Washington State University, talks with Washington State Magazine associate editor Adriana Janovich about his latest book, Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk.
The second of three nonfiction historical narratives by master storyteller Levy about survival and exploration in the Arctic wilderness, this book tracks the voyage of the Karluk to the Bering Sea and its destruction in the ice, leaving crew, Inuit guides, and … » More …
Summer 2022
Larkin Campbell: A view from the middle
VIEWSCAPES: EPISODE 14
October 19, 2022
Larkin Campbell calls himself an unknown actor. Now the Washington State University alum takes us behind the scenes of a life in Hollywood, not as a celebrity but as someone who loves the industry even if only a few recognize him.
In this episode, Larkin talks about his WSU memories, getting into the acting business, and playing Coach Shane in the 125th episode of The Office, as husband of … » More …
Fall 2022
Q&A with Alex Kuo
Where did the idea for Cadenzas come from? What inspired you to write it? And how long did it take?
Four years ago at the age of 79 and aware of how much background work my previous novels have demanded, I was pretty sure that this one, Cadenzas, would be my last novel. Add to that my recollection of what the Palestinian writer Edward Said thought, that the last novel an author writes is usually the one that they’ve always wanted to write, I thought this was it, this was most likely going to be my last one.
I spent several months … » More …
Summer 2021
A conversation about Difficult Fruit with Kate Lebo
Kate Lebo’s lyrical and literary Book of Difficult Fruit—part memoir, part cookbook, wholly wonderful—published April 6.
The compilation of essays, one for each letter of the alphabet, uses different fruits as key ingredients for recipes and storytelling. Each piece stands on its own. Collectively, though, the entries present an associative work that is altogether delightful, insightful, witty, surprising, and often deeply personal.
Lebo finished the final draft while working … » More …
Summer 2020
Q&A: Buddy Levy on the art and craft of the historical narrative
Buddy Levy likes to make the trip.
He specializes in historical narrative, paying meticulous attention to detail, writing cinematically, and traveling to the sites of the stories he’s researching—sometimes several hundred years after they’ve occurred. Travel, he says, is necessary for scene-setting and description, and can be more meaningful than archival research.
His seventh book, Labyrinth of Ice, started with a visit to Greenland in 2003. But he was there to write about something else. Levy was covering a race in which Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind man to summit Mount Everest, was competing, and he managed to convince Weihenmayer to let … » More …
Summer 2020
Q&A with Robert Michael Pyle
Robert Michael Pyle on butterflies, Bigfoot, becoming a Nirvana fan, and working with legendary grunge musician Krist Novoselić (’16 Soc. Sci.) on an album ten years in the making
It started with a book-signing. That led to some beer-drinking, which led to lots of Grange meetings and—finally—recording.
Throughout the better part of a decade, award-winning author, lecturer, and lepidopterist Robert Michael Pyle worked on a spoken-word album in which poetry about the natural world meets acoustic instruments played mostly by grunge icon Krist Novoselić (’16 Soc. Sci.), founding member of and bassist for Nirvana.
Butterfly Launches from Spar Pole, released last fall, began with … » More …