e magic that happens on, and off, the playing field. Together, let's #ChooseToInclude.
THE VIEW FROM
T O R R E Y H O U S E
December 2018
It’s been an exciting year at Torrey House Press with major staff changes, a record number of community events, unexpected projects with valued partners, and terrific new books. We’re bringing more great books to the page and creating more community events than ever in our eight-year history. We’ve come a long way since our founding in October 2010, when our now-treasurer/then-publisher Mark Bailey and I launched the press, seeking to build a good home for writers to tell stories about issues, people, and landscapes of the American West and our ever-changing planet. Now, fifty-plus titles and dozens of author events later, it’s an honor to have you as a part of our growing community of authors, readers, donors, and supporters. Here are some highlights from 2018, our best year yet.
STRONG STORIES AND SURPRISING TITLES
Our publishing program started strong with the much-anticipated nonfiction River of Lost Souls: The Science, Politics, and Greed Behind the Gold King Mine Disaster by Jonathan Thompson, which released in March 2018. A senior editor for High Country News and a master storyteller, Thompson tells the larger story about the people affected by—and responsible for—the 2015 mine spill that turned Colorado’s Animas River a frightening shade of yellow.
June saw the publication of the fourth novel in Scott Graham’s National Park Mystery Series, Yosemite Fall, a breathtaking page-turner that takes archaeologist Chuck Bender into one of the West’s most iconic landscapes where he learns about the difficult history of Native Americans as he fights crime.
In October, we published a debut novel by Bay Area author Alison Hart. A story of intergenerational trauma in a mixed-race family, Mostly White follows four generations of resilient women through 90 turbulent years of American life as they find strength and hope in the natural world.
If you’re a birder or know someone who is, you’ll want to check out The Delightful Horror of Family Birding: Sharing Nature with the Next Generation by New York author Eli Knapp, published November 2018. The combination of laugh-out-loud humor and fascinating natural history—not to mention that hilarious title—makes you altogether happy to spend time with Knapp on every delightful page.
While we were busy working on these scheduled titles, our dear friend Andy Nettell of Back of Beyond Books in Moab, Utah, called up to propose a drop-in project, and soon we were hard at work co-publishing Amy Irvine’s Desert Cabal: A New Season in the Wilderness with one of our favorite independent booksellers. With equal parts verve and insight, Irvine gives author Edward Abbey both a tribute and a talking to in this response to Abbey’s iconic Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness upon the fiftieth anniversary of its publication. National monument defender and co-owner of Hell’s Backbone Grill, Blake Spalding, wrote a marvelous introduction to the book and Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, former Ute Mountain Ute councilwoman and co-chair of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, contributed a powerful afterword to this slim and potent book.
Our title list was small though mighty in 2018, but this year saw a record number of author events—24 in October alone! —and some big and exciting developments in our staff make-up, increasing our capacity and infusing Torrey House Press with energy and enthusiasm for the years and titles ahead.
I’ve long said the best part of publishing is the people, and that’s never been more true than now. Torrey House Press staff is working hard and having a great time doing it after lots of transitions and growth as a three-year-old nonprofit. In January, Rachel Davis, who had been working part-time since the previous fall, became THP’s first full-time paid employee, adding bookkeeping to her role as production and community relations manager—and she’s since added interior book designer to her THP hat collection! In May, we said fond farewells to Brooke Larsen, who had been our University of Utah Environmental Humanities Graduate Fellow for two years. She’s also a contributor to Red Rock Stories: Three Generations of Writers Speak on Behalf of Utah’s Public Lands and was editor of this year’s chapbook advocacy project, Breathing Stories. In July, Anne Terashima returned to Torrey House Press after earning a master’s in publishing and creative writing from DePaul University. Also a Red Rock Stories contributor, Anne first started with THP in 2011 as an undergraduate intern, quickly learning the ropes of publishing to become publicist and associate editor before leaving to pursue graduate work, so it is terrific to have her back full-time as director of publicity/marketing and development and associate editor. Michelle Wentling joined us in August as our new University of Utah Environmental Humanities Graduate Fellow, bringing top-notch writing, social media, and analysis skills as well as a marvelous sense of humor and passion for conservation. We’ve also had the privilege to work with wonderful interns, Jessica Sandrock, Barbara Gillespie, and Madi Slack, who each added insights and efficiency to everything from acquisitions to galley mailings throughout 2018. As we look ahead to 2019, Kathleen Metcalf, THP’s creative director, and I are thrilled and grateful to have Anne, Rachel, and Michelle on board, and together we’re working on publishing some fantastic titles in the coming year—our biggest list ever.
We have eight super books headed your way in 2019, just a tiny fraction of the many great manuscripts that we receive, but our most ambitious publishing schedule yet. Over the last several weeks, we’ve been introducing these titles two by two, and I’m delighted to present them all together here:
It’s a dynamic title list, and we are excited to share these books with you during 2019—but we need your help to do it.
As the region’s only nonprofit literary press, Torrey House Press is uniquely positioned to give voice to authors, stories, and issues that affect landscapes, people, and cultures in the Intermountain West and America’s imperiled public lands. In the blizzard of books today, reaching readers requires new ideas and ongoing effort by publishers. Good storytelling about wild places and conservation is critical for generating support for and advancing priorities of environmental groups. From understanding climate change to protecting native lands, stories about conservation and the West have never been more important. But as with other nonprofit literary presses, book revenue covers only half our operating expenses.
You can help us bring important books to the page by making a tax-deductible contribution today as a Friend of THP. Every dollar directly supports the publication of new voices for the land. Please consider making a donation or selecting a subscription to get upcoming Torrey House Press books delivered to your door throughout the year. Help make 2019 THP’s best year yet.
For words and wild places,
In gratitude,
Your friends at Special Olympics Utahing field. Together, let's #ChooseToInclude.
In gratitude,
Your friends at Special Olympics Utah
