Wednesday, May 8, 2013

WOLF: A Renegade Book, Free of Charge.



In mid-February, I received an intriguing email from Jeff Clark, a community activist, writer, and book designer in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Here's what he wrote, in part:

"In the tradition of radical pamphleteering, I'm designing and publishing a book of rough, radical, activist work on wolves. The book will be well-designed and -printed, and will be available in a gift economy--freely disseminated locally as well as nationally. I'm assembling a really diverse group of writers, most of whom are also activists of one stripe or another. Already of few of the country's most compelling and/or unruly activists and writers are on board.

If I can accomplish my dream, the book will be a very timely, non-academic, renegade publication in the struggle against wolf-hunting and -ignorance. Locally, our legislature voted to allow wolf hunting to resume this fall in Michigan. I'd like for this little paperback to be a tool of information and passion in the struggle that's mounting against that and similar rulings.

The big kicker is that I'd need your text (either short or long, as you see fit) by March 15 at the latest. It's okay—actually, it's encouraged—that the piece be timely, rough, topical, or raw. That will be the spirit of the book. I hope to have it hit the streets by May Day."

In the midst of working on Among Wolves, I was swamped with work and unable to see how I could find time to send something to Jeff in less than a month. But I also couldn't say no; I loved the radical idea of a free book, and I couldn't pass up this opportunity to help out. So I resurrected an essay I'd written a few years back, dusted it off and polished it up with some revising and updating, and sent it to Jeff.

Jeff met his May 1 deadline; WOLF was released on May Day. And my essay, "Toklat," is in there along with essays and poems by a wide range of wonderful people, including some whose work I've long admired, among them Jack Turner, Terry Tempest Williams, and Derek Jensen. The pieces cover the territory of wolves in the US: Alaska's predator control; the reintroductions of red wolves in North Carolina and Mexican gray wolves in Arizona; the delisting of gray wolves and resultant slaughters in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming; the effects of delisting in Jeff's home state.

It's a beautifully diverse and complex collection--much like wolf society itself. Christine Hume's evocative "Reciprocity" about wolf howling stands alongside Norman Bishop's "The Wolf Issue," which almost reads like a Harper's Index in the barrage of statistics showing there's no logical reason for the western states' rampant wolf killings. Ken Lamberton's essay about the Mexican gray wolf's problematic reintroduction shares a cover with Paula Underwood's poetic retelling of an Iroquois tale passed on to her through generations of Native Americans.

So, if you'd like to read these fine pieces, or if you just like the idea of getting a free book (say that three times in a crowd and see what happens) then here's what you do:

1. Comment on this blogpost between now and June 1.
2. Raffle-style, I'll pick two names to get a book; the rest of you will get the book in a PDF. Check back after June 1, and if you're a lucky winner, send me your address.
3. Check your mailbox or your inbox.
4. Prepare to be amazed.

PS: The first printing is nearly gone. Here's a post about the book and the wolf issue in Michigan.

15 comments:

  1. What a cool idea. The cover of the book is striking and it would look great on my coffee table.

    I'm always moved when I see wolves in the wild.

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    1. Dan, send me your address and I'll send you the PDF, if you'd like. Thanks!

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  2. I appreciate your sharing this, Marybeth. This sounds like an intriguing collection of essays and I look forward to reading them, either on the page or the screen.
    Thank you,
    Dale

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  3. What a wonderful book project!

    I grew up in East Coast suburbia and had never seen a wolf until I moved to Alaska. I've been lucky out on the land--my memories are now filled with wolves. I remember the first time. I'd stowed out to Glacier Bay from Juneau on a fishing boat full of virile young men and a half-sober captain shaking from the DTs. After repeated requests for me to stay onboard as a cook, deckhand, or whatever, they dropped me late one night on a dock at the mouth of a deep bay. From there I was magically transported to a smaller bay, where stood an old cabin on stilts, used by a couple friends as a base.

    With a kayak at my disposal, I paddled and hiked the bay, exploring intricate coves, where tides varied as much as twenty feet from high to low twice daily. One day, while paddling close to shore, I watched as seven wolves interacted together on the beach. Running and yipping together, they seemed to display affection for one another. I saw a family interacting; I understood my connection.

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  4. I am preparing myself to be amazed again!

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  5. I'd love to see what writers say about wolves. Having worked on the issue from within the conservation movement for a decade, and having read countless scientific papers and reports on the issue, perhaps some radical art is just the ticket! Thanks.

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    1. Greta, Send me your email address and I'll email you the PDF. Thanks!

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  6. Marybeth, thanks for posting this, both for the subject matter and for the process. Would love to have the book in either form!

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  7. First to say "pick me"! I can't wait to read this.

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  8. I'd be just as happy to receive a pdf version as I've got way too many books for my house as it is! Thanks, marybeth!

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  9. A renegade book - perfect. And I love that you are part of it, Marybeth.

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  10. What a great project, and how lovely that you're included.

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  11. How intriguing...just as the wolf , so is the writer... can't wait to read the book.

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  12. Thanks for all the comments! Stay tuned - I'll be picking the two winners of the book in a couple of days.

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  13. And the winners are...Carol Hult and Anonymous!

    So, if you two could send me your addresses, I'll mail the books asap.

    As for the rest of you - send your email addresses to me at marybeth@alaskawriters.com and I'll send you the PDF.

    Happy June!

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