Scott Jurek is an ultramarathon legend and arguably one of the greatest runners of all time. Mired in semi-retirement from professional racing and late career stagnation, he set his sights on the Appalachian Trail speed record in 2015. Scott and his wife Jenny approached this project as relative novices and their collaborative narrative account, North, tells the amazing story of their 46-day, 2,189-mile AT adventure. The book is about so much more than running, and in this conversation we interrogate some of those larger topics – relationships, communication, loss, triumph and community
Jeremy Smith’s recent book “Breaking & Entering: The Extraordinary Story of a Hacker Called Alien” is a riveting narrative account of a dark world that touches us all. This is Jeremy’s third book and his writing has also appeared in The Atlantic, Discover, and, The New York Times. He lives in Missoula and is a graduate of the UM Masters of Fine Arts program.
Mark Synnott is a world class big wall climber whose writing has appeared in Outside, Men’s Journal and National Geographic. Mark’s new book “The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan, and the climbing life,” covers his dangerously precocious introduction to climbing and the journey that led him to climb alongside Alex Honnold and document his amazing free solo of El Capitan. The book is available beginning today, wherever you buy your books.
Melissa Stephenson’s debut book is her powerful memoir Driven: A White-Knuckled Ride To Heartbreak And Beyond. Our conversation explores how this UM graduate and Missoula resident gained the confidence to share her deepest truths and the process she went through to craft this poignant and powerful piece of writing.
Cheryl Strayed is a literary force. Her memoir, “Wild,” was a #1 New York Times bestseller and the first selection in Oprah’s Book Club 2.0. She also wrote “Tiny Beautiful Things,” “Brave Enough” and “Torch.” Cheryl recently visited the University of Montana and we were fortunate enough to speak with her about writing, grief, and finding your deepest, darkest truth.
