High Country News

To die fighting: a review of Jesse's Ghost: A Novel

In Frank Bergon's new novel, a young man in California's Central Valley is haunted by the memory of his best friend, whom he murdered.

by Tara Rae Miner, Oct 30, 2011
Mapping the Hi-Line: A review of Honyocker Dreams

Writer David Mogen sets out to understand his childhood and his rural ancestors, who lived along Montana’s Hi-Line, just below the Canadian border.

by Andrea Clark Mason, Oct 30, 2011
Feeding the deer

A rural Californian doesn't apologize for feeding the deer that hang out near his mountain home.

by Jaime O'Neill, Jan 25, 2012
Living the news, publishing every week

Across the nation, small, understaffed newspapers like Washington's Methow Valley News work to bring local news to their rural readers.

by Don Nelson, Oct 27, 2011
Farm incubators help would-be farmers succeed on their own

Viva Farms is a "farm incubator" in Washington's Skagit Valley that helps aspiring cash-poor farmers like Nelida Martinez start and successfully operate their own businesses.

by Jennifer Langston, Nov 28, 2011
Looking forward, looking back

William Kittredge brings together new and selected essays about life in the West in The Next Rodeo.

by Claire Dederer, Oct 29, 2007
The old ways sink into the earth

There's something evocative about old farm equipment, which is as rich in memories as it is covered in ancient rust.

by Joanne Wilke, Dec 07, 2009
A land of subtle beauty: A review of Llano Estacado

The photos and essays gathered in this collection of photographs and essays celebrate the austere beauty of a vast dry landscape.

by Kurt Caswell, Jun 26, 2011
Imaginary journeys on a rowing machine

When a writer buys a rowing machine, her 3-year-old daughter's enthusiasm turns exercise into an adventure as they imagine rowing to reach the island of Yap in Micronesia.

by Michelle Nijhuis, May 03, 2012
The woodpile and me

Is it ever possible to have too much wood in your woodpile?

by Gail Binkly, Feb 03, 2011