Author Gary Ferguson will read from his forthcoming memoir, The Carry Home, on Friday, June 6 at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake for the launch of Whitefish Review’s “Fire” issue. The gathering at the Lakeshore Tent Pavilion begins at 7 p.m. and the reading starts at 8 p.m.
For the past several months, the editorial team at Whitefish Review has been reviewing more than 500 submissions in art, photography, fiction, non-fiction and poetry for the “fire” theme. Editors are now selecting the final ingredients to be baked into this latest literary collection, which includes an original essay by Ferguson, a conversation with author Bill McKibben, as well as contributions from 40 other writers, artists and photographers, several being published for the first time.
Formerly an interpretive naturalist for the U.S. Forest Service, Ferguson is the author of 22 books on nature, science and history. The Carry Home, due to be published in November by Counterpoint Press, is his most intimate and riveting book yet – a haunting meditation on wilderness, conservation, and grief.
The book is both a moving celebration of the outdoor life shared between Ferguson and his wife, Jane, who died in a canoeing accident in 2005, and a chronicle of the mending, uplifting power of nature. Ferguson offers powerful glimpses into how the natural world can be a critical prompt for moving through cycles of immeasurable grief, how bereavement can turn to wonder, and how one man rediscovered himself in the process of saying goodbye.
A contributor to the National Geographic Lecture Series, Ferguson has given keynote presentations and workshops across the nation and his nature and science-based essays can be heard on National Public Radio affiliates throughout the country. Hawks Rest (National Geographic, 2003) became the first book to win nonfiction book of the year from both the Pacific Northwest and Mountains and Plains booksellers associations and Decade of the Wolf (Lyons Press, 2005) was selected as the Montana Book of the Year.
Founded in 2007, Whitefish Review is a nationally-acclaimed, non-profit journal publishing the distinctive literature, art, and photography of mountain culture. Featuring established and emerging authors and artists, it weaves a diverse mix of stories, interviews and conversations along with a 16-page color art section.
The evening is sponsored by The Whitefish Community Foundation, Jest Gallery, Whitefish Mountain Resort, Good Medicine Lodge, The Lodge at Whitefish Lake, and the donors to Whitefish Review. A $10 suggested entry donation is requested to help offset costs of the evening.
Visit www.WhitefishReview.org for more information.