Essays
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Sycamore Canyon: an essay
An expectant couple goes rock climbing.
by Craig Reinbold, May 13, 2013 -
Seeking Ben Kennedy: a quest to find a mysterious Montana philanthropist
The writer goes in search of a mysterious Montana philanthropist
by J. Malcolm Garcia, May 03, 2013 -
River home: an essay on life on the Arkansas River
The author makes his home on--and in-- the Arkansas River
by Eduardo Rey Brummel, Apr 26, 2013 -
Westerners love erotic landscapes
The Western landscape is full of arousing features.
by Stephen Lyons, Mar 18, 2013 -
Kids in the backcountry: The earlier, the better
A father understands what’s gained by taking his kids deep into the backcountry again and again as they’re growing up.
by Alan Kesselheim, Mar 18, 2013 -
'We Don’t Give a Damn How They Do It Outside'
An Alaska native struggles to "blend in" in the Lower 48.
by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock , Mar 04, 2013 -
Reimaginations
A writer’s quest to find the people behind her great-grandfather’s New Mexico drawings.
by Sierra Crane-Murdoch, Mar 01, 2013 -
Love wins
After 22 years, a couple gets the first same-sex marriage in their rural Washington county.
by Ana Maria Spagna, Feb 04, 2013 -
The Power Lung Kid
A writing teacher discovers that the real difference he makes for disadvantaged kids is through listening and other simple acts.
by Cameron Scott, Jan 21, 2013 -
My low-impact life
In a quest to save money while going to school in pricy Bozeman, Mont., the author built himself a tiny cabin behind a junkyard. He's still there today.
by Bill Bilverstone, Jan 18, 2013 -
At home with the oil rigs
A California resident learns to love the tiny lights twinkling far out to sea.
by Cameron Walker, Dec 24, 2012 -
Date with a climate-change denier
A first (and last) date with someone who doesn't believe in global warming.
by Megan Kimble, Dec 21, 2012 -
The right tributary
A writer gets roped into fish surveys for endangered bull trout.
by Ana Maria Spagna, Dec 07, 2012 -
Legend of the gray-headed hunter
A 60-year-old Oregonian goes deer hunting for the first time
by John Daniel, Nov 11, 2012 -
Fire Wall: Escaping Four Mile Canyon
It took the author 18 minutes to evacuate her cabin when the fire came. When she returned, she built a fire wall.
by Erin Espelie, Nov 08, 2012 -
Student essay: The view from the East
It took going east -- to Maine -- for the author to understand the West.
by Walter Wuthmann, Oct 22, 2012 -
Student essay: How I became a Westerner and why it doesn't matter
I'm a Westerner by birth, but family and community matter more than location.
by Jon Manley, Oct 14, 2012 -
Student essay: Lost and found in the sagebrush
Wandering in the underappreciated sagebrush sea.
by Wieteke Holthuijzen, Oct 15, 2012 -
That familiar loneliness: a writer's own relationship mirrors a Stegner novel
Emily Guerin finds that life imitates fiction when she reads Wallace Stegner's book Angle of Repose
by Emily Guerin, Oct 10, 2012 -
Storm on Lava Creek: A season in Yellowstone
The power of a thunderstorm thrills a newcomer to Yellowstone National Park.
by Lauren Koshere, Sep 27, 2012






