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Michael Finkel: On being alone
Published
6 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Doug Hare EBS Staff
When Michael Finkel graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, he took a job as an associate editor with Skiing magazine. In his early twenties, assignments took him to mountains around the world: Bolivia, Iran, China, and the glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro, leaving him with a lifelong love of adventure and winter sports.
In 1993, he got what some would consider a dream job: live in a mountain town as a ski bum for a year and write about it. Partly inspired by John Steinbeck’s descriptions of Montana in “Travels with Charlie,” he chose to live in Bozeman, and has called it home ever since.
Writing about unusual sports for Sports Illustrated, travel pieces for National Geographic, and reporting from war zones for The New York Times Magazine only made him more well-traveled, more fascinated in the exhilarating, if not bizarre aspects of human culture.
In 2003, he published “Alpine Circus: A Skier’s Exotic Adventures at the Snowy Edges of the World,” recounting his most memorable experiences from his seemingly endless travels.
His 2005 memoir, “True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa,” details a low-point in his life: after being fired from The New York Times Magazine, he learns that an accused murderer on the FBI’s most wanted list has stolen his identity while on the lam in Mexico. This dual saga about two distinct falls from grace eventually made it to the silver screen in the 2015 film “True Story,” starring Jonah Hill and James Franco.
Finkel’s most recent book, “Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit,” is his best effort to date. Compelling from the very first chapter, this book examines the decision of a 20 year old to drive from his Massachusetts home north into the heart of the Maine woods, park his car and put his keys in the center console, walk off into the forest, and avoid any human contact for nearly three decades.
How did Christopher Knight survive the fierce mosquitos in summer, or the harsh winters of Maine in a tent? How did he manage to stay sane without any human contact for 27 years? Why? What drives a person to make a complete break with society?
Knight had a penchant for stealing provisions and books from cottages and summer homes in his vicinity, leading to various folk tales about the “North Pond Hermit.” Eventually, Knight was caught with the help of modern surveillance equipment—while pilfering a summer camp for autistic children—and returned to society in handcuffs.
This well-researched, riveting account of Christopher Knight’s willful seclusion is interspersed with tales of others who have sought out solitude: Tibetan monks, Henry David Thoreau, Tasmanian bush people, Catholic mystics, and the author’s own insights from his travels to India.
Finkel approaches big questions about the individual, society and the good life through insightful, yet frustrating correspondence and interviews with the hermit-burglar himself, as well as self-reflection on his own love of camping and reading. “Stranger in the Woods” leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Whether Knight was a lunatic or loner, a two-bit thief or harmless sage, is eventually left for the reader to decide.
With this engaging, thought-provoking piece of investigative journalism and biography, Finkel has put himself in a class with the John McPhees and Jon Krakauers of the literary world. If you ever find yourself with some time alone, this is one book that will make a good companion.
Doug Hare is the Distribution Director 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.
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
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My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
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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
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Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
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March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
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29mar3:00 pm4:00 pmGood Friday Mass: St. Joseph Catholic Mission3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Event City:Big Sky
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Friday of the Passion of the Lord St. Joseph Catholic Mission
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