DOWNWIND: A People's History Utah tour set to begin soon (with special appearences in Idaho!)

This week, Downwind: A People's History of the Nuclear West author Sarah Fox will be returning to the region where her book research began ten years ago, to speak at libraries and universities across Utah (with a side trip to two communities in Southern Idaho) during the Utah Book Festival.  Her visit is made possible by the generous support of Utah Humanities, the Charles Redd Center for Western American Studies, and the libraries and institutions that will host her on this trip. Fox will be available to record oral history interviews for residents who are interested in sharing their memories of the Cold War in three different locations (noted below). Learn more about how to sign up for an oral history session here. 

Highlights of Fox's tour include:

Utah State University, Logan, Monday October 19, at 3:30 pm.

Salt Lake City Library, conversation with Mary Dickson, Salt Lake City, Tuesday October 20, at 7 pm.

Utah State Archives, Salt Lake City, Wednesday October 21, at 12:00 pm (Courtyard Meeting Room, 346 South Rio Grande (450 West), Salt Lake City, UT).

HEAL UTAH visit, Salt Lake City, Thursday October 22.

Oneida County Library, Malad Idaho, Friday October 23, 5 pm.

Emmett Library, Emmett, Idaho, Saturday October 24, 12:00 pm.

Oral History Gathering Session, Emmett Library, October 24, 1:30-4:00 pm. (email the author at downwindhistory@gmail.com to sign up for a time.)

Washington Branch Library, Washington City, Monday October 26, 7 pm.

Southern Utah University, Cedar City, Tuesday October 27, 7 pm.

Oral History Gathering Session, SUU Library, Tuesday October 27, 1-4 pm. (email the author at downwindhistory@gmail.com to sign up for a time.)

Enterprise Library, Enterprise, Wednesday October 28, 7 pm.

Oral History Gathering Session, Enterprise Library, 5-6:30 pm. (email the author at downwindhistory@gmail.com to sign up for a time.)

Charles Redd Center for Western American Studies, BYU, Provo, 11:00 am.

Downwind in the Cascadia Weekly today (and Bham's Village Books tomorrow!)

Today the Cascadia Weekly features a story on the writing of Downwind.  Check it out here! Tomorrow author Sarah Fox will be speaking about Downwind at Bellingham's own Village Books, at 7pm.  This week marks Village Book's 35th year in business... a remarkable achievement in a day and age when brick and mortar bookstores are disappearing from our neighborhoods.  Please come out to celebrate a remarkable independent bookstore, and pick up your copy of Downwind!

Ten days till Downwind debuts in Bellingham!

Bellingham friends! In ten days I'll be heading north to one of my favorite places...  Village Books. I grew up choosing titles there as a kid and a young adult, and I haunted the aisles when I lived in Bellingham in 2003, just before I headed off to grad school in Utah.  I'm especially thrilled to be speaking there during Village Book's 35th Birthday week.  (They're only 53 weeks older than me.) I can think of few independent bookstores I've loved or respected more. I look forward to seeing lots of familiar and beloved faces on Thursday, June 11, 7 pm!.

This week: Support the West Seattle Historical Society by purchasing Downwind and other titles!

This Friday, June 5, Downwind will be featured in the Words, Writers & West Seattle series at the Barnes & Noble in Westwood Village.  From 5-7 pm, I'll be speaking about the journey of writing the book, answering questions, and signing copies. It's my neighborhood so I'm particularly thrilled to be a part of this series, and I'm looking forward to seeing fellow WS faces. The best part though?

"Any purchases made by those attending the talk that afternoon and for the next five days will result in a contribution of 10 percent of proceeds to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society under the Barnes & Noble Bookfair program."

Please come on down and support Downwind: A People's History and the wonderful SW Historical Society!

DOWNWIND at The Evergreen State College

This past week I had the incredible honor of returning to my alma mater, The Evergreen State College, where I completed a Bachelor of Arts back in 2001.  I could not have researched or written Downwind without the training I received at Evergreen, an interdisciplinary college of the arts and sciences founded on inquiry and critical thinking.  A concern for social and environmental justice underscores many of the programs at Evergreen, which blend research from various disciplines to consider a central question or theme.  Four programs attended my talk: In Search of Lost Time, Where Are You: Introduction to Geography and Geographical Awareness, Counter Narratives: Songs and Stories Across Cultures, and Cultural Landscapes: Sustainable Communities, Environmental Justice and the Media. 

Honestly, I was ready to re-enroll right there. Each of the programs sounded incredible and worthy and fascinating. 

It was a thrill to discuss the power of interdisciplinary research for reckoning with pressing social and environmental problems with a group of scholars all deeply invested in doing similar work. 

Thanks for having me back, Greeners....

and thank you to my longtime mentor and former professor Sam Schrager, who gave me a really lovely introduction, and who taught me so much of what I know. (Look for a quote from him in Downwind)...

Back to my Geoduck roots

Some of you in the Pacific Northwest may have seen this story about the Evergreen State College this week.  It came as some overdue recognition and publicity for an incredible institution of learning, one many Washingtonians don't even know about. Tucked away in the woods outside of Olympia, TESC turns 44 this year, and its been doing incredible work for the duration.  I'm a Greener from way back (class of 2001) and this week I am honored to return to my roots to speak about my book.  Downwind is uniquely a product of the education I received at Evergreen.  Social and environmental justice were cornerstones of my learning as an undergraduate, and the thoroughly interdisciplinary training I received at TESC launched me into graduate school (and my research into nuclear history) with an ample toolkit for research and analysis.

I will be speaking at Evergreen this Thursday, May 14 in the COM Building Recital Hall from 12:00pm to 1:00 pm.