Let's Talk About:

REFUGE

by Terry Tempest Williams

Discussion will be led by: Matthew Haynes

March 15 @ 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.

 

Let's Talk About the Book:

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place (1991) is an autobiographical account which chronicles a disruptive period in the life of author Terry Tempest Williams. In 1983, several sources of stability and inspiration for Williams were shaken, when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and her beloved Bear River Bird Refuge was threatened by the rising waters of the Great Salt Lake. Critical of less-than-sensitive responses to the land, Williams finds her own peace as she comes to embrace continuity in change, both in the land and her LDS ancestors, and in rhythms of her family and her own life.

 

Let’s Talk About the Author:

Terry Tempest Williams is Naturalist-in-Residence at the Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City. Her books include Pieces of White Shell, which won the Southwest Book Award, and Coyote Canyon, a collection of personal narratives of Utah's desert canyons.

 

Let’s Talk About the Scholar:

Matthew Haynes is a faculty member in the English Department at the College of Western Idaho where he teaches literature, film, humanities, creative writing and composition. He is also the advisor for the English Club and Phi Theta Kappa. Haynes earned his B.A. in literature, M.A. in fiction and M.F.A. in creative nonfiction from Boise State University. He has been a finalist for the Faulkner Award in Nonfiction and has received partial fellowships to attend the Prague and St. Petersburg Summer Seminars.

Let’s Talk About the Book Club:

Sponsored by the Idaho Commission for Libraries, Idaho Humanities Council, and US Bank, the “Let’s Talk About It” program brings together humanities scholars and adult readers in public libraries to read and discuss fine literature which explores American values, history and culture. To learn more about the program, CLICK HERE.

This year, Hailey Public Library is exploring a theme developed by Susan Swetnam--“IDAHO: Tough Paradise.” It focuses on the Literature of Idaho and the Intermountain West. Swetnam notes that Idaho can be a place of redemption and says, “Writers reveal not only their love of this difficult land’s beauty, but also their joy in working it.” To explore this theme, the recommended reading list, the many essays written for it, and Susan Swetnam’s essay on Idaho as a Place of Redemption, CLICK HERE.

 

Let's Talk About the Book List:

This is the final book in this year's series.