Western Book Roundup

Craig Childs’ “Finders Keepers” Hits Stores, and Childs Hits the Lit Fest Trail

By Jenny Shank, 8-25-10

Maria’s Bookshop in Durango, Colo. is gearing up to sponsor a number of literary events this fall.  First is the intriguingly titled writers’ workshop, “Back to the Loincloth: Hunting & Gathering Sustenance Through the Art of Story,” to be held on Saturday, September 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Craig Childs and Amy Irvine will lead the workshop, and as anyone who has seen these two writers speak will know, you won’t need to rely on coffee to stay awake.  They are as passionate about their subjects—the West, its wilderness, and its people—as it’s possible to be.  The workshop’s website describes it in this way:

“A good story is hard to find; both brutish stalking and careful harvesting skills are required.  And then there’s the challenge of transmission—the successful telling that conjures ancient archetypes while inspiring meaningful metaphors. Join award-winning Western writers Craig Childs and Amy Irvine for a day dedicated to seeking out the stories that both stir the soul and appease the appetite.”

The same weekend, the Durango Public Library will hold its Literary Festival, from Thursday, September 16 through Saturday, September 18.  Featured authors include Irvine, Childs, Blake Crouch, Katherine Leiner, and Ken Wright.  There will be a variety of panels and readings, most of which will be held at the Durango Public Library.  There is no charge for any of the events except the workshop, which costs $75 and has 20 slots available for registration.

• Speaking of Craig Childs, his new book, Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaelogical Plunder and Obsession hits stores this week.  Publishers Weekly had good things to say about it:

“Childs (The Animal Dialogues) intermingles personal experiences as a desert ecologist and adventurer with a journalistic look at scientists, collectors, museum officials, and pot hunters to explore what should happen to ancient artifacts. Questioning whether artifacts should be left in place, Childs argues that although surface surveys and electronic imaging permit study of buried objects without digging, that reliance on technology risks the loss of the “physical connection to the memory of ancient people… This is an engaging and thought-provoking look at one of the art and artifacts’ world’s most heated debates.”

Finders Keepers is the August Reading the West selection for the Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association, along with the children’s picture book The Buffalo Are Back by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Wendell Minor.

• Once you’ve hit the Durango festivities, you can follow Craig Childs on the Western literary festival circuit to Moab on October 21 through 23 for the annual Confluence: A Celebration of Reading and Writing in Moab.  This year’s theme is Water, and in addition to Childs, children’s book author Debra Frasier, Pulitzer Prize finalist William duBuys, and author of Watersheds as Commons Jack Loeffler will give readings and lead discussions.

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