Uncategorized
Dog-eared Days of Summer
Published
8 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersDavid James Duncan: River bard
By Douglas Hare EBS Staff
David James Duncan is best known as the author of “The River Why,” a novel about fly fishing, romance and the rivers of Oregon and Montana, and “The Brothers K,” a Dostoyevskian tale about family, baseball and religion.
He is less well known for his essay collections “My Story as Told by Water” and “God Laughs & Plays,” his most recent book about politics and Christianity, published in 2006.
Duncan is passionate about running waters and despite being raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, his own religiosity resembles the Nez Perce tribe’s reverence for the coho salmon as a sacred animal. “A salmon river is a prayer wheel,” the author once said.
But with equal adeptness the author can channel the humility of St. Francis of Assisi, the tranquility of a Zen Buddhist monk, or the anger of an Old Testament prophet.
I was planning on reading one of the Missoula-based writer’s novels when I came across “River Teeth” on a friend’s bookshelf. In the introduction, Duncan explains how since childhood he has called the last knots of old growth trees disintegrating in fast moving waters “river teeth.”
“There is life in rivers, and strength,” Duncan writes, “there are countless grinders and sanders: in a relic the waters have shaped so long, why wouldn’t we begin to glimpse the river’s mind and blind artistry?”
While “River Teeth” is a collection of both fiction and nonfiction stories, it’s difficult to know where one medium begins and the other ends. I can only assume the blurring between the autobiographical and the fantastical is intentional.
Duncan blends an environmental ethic, a love of baseball, and his own brand of Eastern mysticism in tightly wrought vignettes and longer-form short stories. He somehow manages a balancing act between his activist inclinations and his own contemplative tendencies.
“The Mickey Mantle Koan” is unquestionably one of the finest pieces in the collection. At the same time, it’s a magnificent contribution to sports literature and one of the most moving eulogies I have ever read.
“On Not Rocking the Boats” is an unforgettably hilarious story about an irritable fly fisher who laments the commercialization of his craft. For anyone who has had a transcendental experience at a music concert, “My One Conversation with Collin Walcott” will hit all the right notes.
Whether Duncan is channeling Ralph Waldo Emerson or Wendell Berry, he has earned himself the reputation as an American sage and bard of the Pacific Northwest. Pick up one of his books, let the flow of his prose wash over you and you will be entertained and enlightened by the musings of a mystical wordsmith.
Doug Hare is the Distribution Coordinator for Outlaw Partners. He studied philosophy and American literature at Princeton and Harvard universities.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
april, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
more
Event Details
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
Time
14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour
Event Details
Everyone is invited to join us in celebrating 2 years of arts education in the BASE Art Studio with us! Take a tour of the studio, meet our instructors, and meet other artists of all levels in our community. We’ll be getting creative and you’ll have the chance to make your very own artful button pin.
Stick around for our Volunteer Appreciation and Social beginning at 6:30 p.m.!
Time
(Thursday) 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Location
BASE
285 Simkins Dr