June 1, 7PM at Grand County Public Library: A Reading and Conversation with Melissa L. Sevigny and her new book, BRAVE THE WILD RIVER

June 26, 7PM at Back of Beyond Books: David Gessner in conversation about his new book, A TRAVELER’S GUIDE TO THE END OF THE WORLD: TALES OF FIRE, WIND, AND WATER

 

Not All Great Minds Are The Same: Dr. Temple Grandin at Star Hall May 30, 6PM

Past Events

December 9, 2022: Author Reading with R.E. Burrillo – The Backwoods of Everywhere

After an upstate New York childhood and a bartending stint in New Orleans’ French Quarter, seasonal resort work led R. E. Burrillo to the desert Southwest, whose redrock landscapes were a source of stability through mental and physical illness. In The Backwoods of Everywhere, archaeologist Burrillo excavates his past, examining Indigenous and tourist cultures, the complexities of American archaeology, and what it means to be a local. In the vein of Bill Bryson, Tim Cahill, and Ellen Meloy, Burrillo’s is a fresh voice in humor-spiked nature writing and cultural commentary.

November 15, 2022: Book Release Celebration of Craig Childs’ Stone Desert

Originally published over twenty-five years ago, Stone Desert brings the wonder and wildness of one of our nation’s most geologically and culturally unique national parks to readers everywhere. With a new introduction by the author, this edition includes Craig Childs’s original journal—written over a winter in Canyonlands National Park and complete with pen-and-ink sketches—from which Stone Desert originated. Join Childs as he hikes the high mesas, navigates the winding canyons, and witnesses the ancient rock art of Utah’s most inscrutable and remote slickrock desert.

October 14, 2022: Suzanne Roberts in Conversation with Amy Irvine

Suzanne Roberts is the author of the award-winning essay collection Animal Bodies: On Death, Desire, and Other Difficulties (March 2022), the award-winning travel memoir in essays Bad Tourist: Misadventures in Love and Travel (2020), and the memoir Almost Somewhere: Twenty-Eight Days on the John Muir Trail (Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award), as well as four books of poems. Named “The Next Great Travel Writer” by National Geographic’s Traveler, Suzanne’s work has been listed as notable in Best American Essays and included in The Best Women’s Travel Writing. Suzanne holds a doctorate in literature and the environment from the University of Nevada-Reno, teaches in the low residency MFA program in creative writing at UNR-Tahoe, and splits her time between South Lake Tahoe, California and an old green van named Shrek.

Amy Irvine is the author of numerous essays and four nonfiction books addressing environmental, Indigenous and feminist concerns. She is a contributing editor for Orion Magazine, her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Outside, Orion, Pacific Standard, Best American Science & Nature Writing, and Best American Food Writing. Her first memoir, Trespass, received the Orion Book Award, and the Ellen Meloy Desert Writers Award. Her second memoir, Almost Animal, is forthcoming by Spiegel & Grau in Spring 2023. Irvine, a Mountainview MFA alumnus, lives, writes, and teaches off-grid on a remote mesa in southwest Colorado.

March 17 & 18: The 2023 Albuquerque Antiquarian Book Fair

Please join Back of Beyond Books in New Mexico this St. Patrick’s Day weekend!

March 17, 2023, 7 PM, Back of Beyond Books and the Grand County Public Library present a reading and signing with Scott Graham and his new book: Saguaro Sanction

 

March 18, 6PM at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center: Douglas Brinkley in conversation about his new book Silent Spring Revolution

Back of Beyond Books will be present at this event to sell copies of Brinkley’s new book, Silent Spring Revolution.

 

Author Melissa L. Sevigny will be discussing her exciting new book, Brave the Wild River,at the moab_library tomorrow evening at 7pm! The event is free to the public, and we’re excited to hear Sevigny discuss her research into the first women who ran the Colorado.

To get ya prepped, here’s a review by Sophie:

Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon
By Melissa Sevigny 

“In the name of science, river running history was made.  In 1938, Dr. Elzada Clover and graduate student Lois Jotter were the first women to boat the entire length of the Grand Canyon and the first botanists to document its flora. The epic 43-day trip was envisioned by Clover and guided by pioneering Colorado River boatman, Norm Nevills. The botanical survey of Clover and Jotter is the only one to document the riparian species of the Grand Canyon before the Glen Canyon Dam was built. Through journal entries, letters and newspaper articles Melissa Sevigny has woven a top notch story about river running, women in science and the Colorado River.“

#backofbeyond #backofbeyondbooks #authorreading #bravethewildriver #melissalsevigny #sciencewriting #naturalhistory #riverrunners #normnevills #womeninscience #moablibrary #grandcountypubliclibrary #booksigning #eatreadsleeplocal
Staff Pick this week is Shari’s! See what she has to say about this Indie Bestseller that was originally published in French in 2021 and has since been translated by Tina Kover for English-speaking readers.

The Postcard
By Anne Berest

“This is a beautifully crafted novel that takes readers on a journey through time and self-discovery. The story follows the Rabinovitch family: their flight from Russia following the revolution, their journey to Latvia, Palestine, and Paris. Interestingly, Berest has chosen the genre of fiction to interrogate her own family history, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the significance of familial bonds. Berest adeptly examines how the past shapes the present and the ways in which our ancestors' experiences can influence our own lives. Anyone interested in either the City of Lights, history or calling up the past for a chance at reclaiming the present will love this novel as much as I did.”

#backofbeyond #backofbeyondbooks #thepostcard #anneberest #translatedfiction #translatedliterature #familyhistory #cityoflights #bobbstaffpick #eatreadsleeplocal