In our annual Books and Authors special issue we celebrate the storied West. Read an excerpt from George Takei’s memoir on his childhood experience in an internment camp and an excerpt from Beth Piatote’s first short-story collection that delves into family connection. Find author interviews with nature writer Terry Tempest Williams and poet Jake Skeets. We review many books from all corners of the West, dive into essays and provide a list of the season’s best reads.
From Russia with love — and salmon
A new book explores the borderlands of ‘Salmon Nation,’ from the American West to Russia’s Far East.
George Takei recounts internment’s long shadow
The actor and activist remembers his childhood detainment by the U.S. government during World War II in a new graphic novel.
Humans are great at giving real problems the side-eye
Two new titles provide insight on the willful ignorance that lead to the West’s water woes.
Joy Harjo’s singing trees and trickster saxophones
The U.S. poet laureate’s new collection of poems incorporates history and breaks time.
Native nonfiction authors experiment with form in new anthology
In a collection of essays, writers defy expectations and examine place.
The West is more than heroes and villains
In ‘This Land,’ Christopher Ketcham roams the West in search of both, and misses a lot in between.
This season’s best reads
A roundup of the new and upcoming books that have caught our eye.
The West is the stories we tell
To truly know a place, seek out its hidden histories.
Is development a cancer on the West’s landscape?
When your mom is battling the illness, the metaphor gets complicated.
We need more than stories for the unheard
Writing offers a way to understand our community and ourselves.
Support beehives; fecal time bombs; super-tough roundworms
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Interview: On negotiating brutality and beauty
In his debut collection, poet Jake Skeets summons beauty through darkness.
Q & A: Terry Tempest Williams on erosion as an emotional state
The acclaimed author discusses how she hopes to help people find strength in these times.
A Western author wades into murky political waters
The blind spots, omissions and caricatures of ‘Deep River’ fail to contend with the historical realities of the Northwest or the current political climate.
The case against immigration prisons
Law professor César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández analyzes why America puts so many immigrants behind bars.
Beads are easier to connect than family
In Beth Piatote’s first short-story collection, a niece learns beading and other lessons.
Friendship and disappearance in the desert
A debut novel highlights the strength of women, even as they face trouble.