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Northwest Passages: DeFede got an unlikely start of stellar career in Spokane

Sun., Aug. 7, 2022

Award-winning investigative reporter Jim DeFede owes his start in journalism to an unlikely series of events and his popular book about a small Canadian city’s reaction to the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001 to an assignment that fell through.

A&E >  Books

Putsata Reang reflects on identity growing up as a child of refugees in her memoir ‘Ma and Me’

Sun., July 24, 2022

As an infant, Putsata Reang escaped war-torn Cambodia in 1975 with her family on a naval ship bound for the Philippines.

A&E >  Books

Northwest Passages: Leah Sottile talks Chad Daybell, Lori Vallow and how ‘extremism could be sitting next to you’

UPDATED: Thu., July 14, 2022

Leah Sottile makes chilling murders into a gripping cultural study.

A&E >  Books

Northwest Passages Book Review: “When the Moon Turns to Blood: Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell, and a Story of Murder, Wild Faith, and End Times” – Leah Sottile (Twelve)

UPDATED: Thu., July 14, 2022

My mistake was thinking this was just another true crime book.

A&E >  Books

Lori Vallow, Chad Daybell case featured at upcoming Northwest Passages talk with author Leah Sottile

UPDATED: Thu., July 14, 2022

Leah Sottile likes to fall down rabbit holes. It’s where she digs out facts and captures the context that makes her reporting stand out.

A&E >  Books

Northwest Passages: Jess Walter talks ‘The Angel of Rome’ and the greatness of Spokane’s ‘gritty’ side

UPDATED: Thu., July 14, 2022

Award-winning novelist and Spokane’s own Jess Walter said he doesn’t think anyone knows how to write a novel.

A&E >  Books

Book review: Reflective ‘Angel of Rome’ offers poignant, witty summer read

UPDATED: Thu., July 14, 2022

The latest book by Spokane’s Jess Walter is a collection of older works from the past decade that have appeared separately in other places, including the pages of The Spokesman-Review.

A&E >  Books

Finding truth and keeping it real: In Jess Walter’s new collection ‘The Angel of Rome,’ the Spokane author lets character shine through

UPDATED: Thu., July 14, 2022

The best fiction usually rings true.

News

Northwest Passages: Lost Horse Press and the love of Ukrainian poetry

UPDATED: Thu., July 14, 2022

For Ukrainians, poetry is an integral aspect of daily life.

A&E >  Books

Spokane reporters’ bylines return with books during NW Passages summer events

UPDATED: Thu., July 14, 2022

Spokane is a such a fertile writing ground. And summer is always more fun with a book to read. So Northwest Passages would like to suggest a few from former journalists in the Pacific Northwest, as well as an advocate for Ukrainian culture here in Spokane.

A&E >  Books

Eileen Garvin’s ‘The Music of Bees’ deserves the buzz

UPDATED: Fri., April 29, 2022

Eileen Garvin’s first novel, “The Music of Bees,” is a story for this unique time about three people trying to mend their broken lives. It comes during a year when most people feel their lives have been torn apart by a pandemic and are looking for ways to heal. Garvin’s novel provides a story of faith and perseverance.

A&E >  Books

‘She knew she was risking her life:’ Northwest Passages features author who chronicled young female photojournalist in Vietnam War

UPDATED: Fri., April 15, 2022

French-born Catherine Leroy arrived in Vietnam in blonde pigtails. She looked like a child (she was 21), and no one was threatened by her. “As soon as she started selling photographs and winning awards, that changed,” Mary Cronk Farrell said. Farrell spoke about her book “Close-Up on War” on Wednesday night.

A&E >  Books

Review: ‘Close-Up on War’ an important book about Vietnam War, photojournalism

UPDATED: Tue., April 12, 2022

Catherine Leroy wasn’t who you would expect to garner success in the Vietnam War. In 1966 at age 21, she bought a camera and shipped herself to war-torn Vietnam. Most in Saigon thought she’d join the other aspiring war journalists and be wounded or killed during combat and leave just as soon as she got there.

A&E >  Books

Review: ‘Red Paint’ is a memoir that touches your heart

Sat., March 26, 2022

We may never know exactly the beat of the drums inside the longhouse celebrations that had members of the Coast Salish dancing until dawn. That, as author Sasha taqʷšablu LaPointe points out in her riveting memoir “Red Paint,” is a private ceremony. It would be disrespectful to publicly talk about the rituals.

A&E >  Books

Sasha LaPointe balances Indigenous traditions and the modern world in her memoir ‘Red Paint’

UPDATED: Tue., March 29, 2022

In a world bent on deciding other’s identities, author Sasha LaPointe did not forget, nor choose. She can navigate the salmon songs of her Upper Skagit and Nooksack ancestors and recite the lines to Bikini Kill’s debut album.

A&E >  Books

She gave war a face: Mary Cronk Farrell’s book offers close-up on Vietnam War through pioneering photojournalist Catherine Leroy’s lens

UPDATED: Wed., March 30, 2022

The letters were the tipping point. Author Mary Cronk Farrell had come across the story of Catherine Leroy, a novice photographer who at age 21 flew to Vietnam from her home in France hoping to get a few photos of the war published. Her images wound up in newspapers and magazines across the globe.

A&E >  Northwest Passages

Black Stories Symposium: Mandi Price, Kiantha Duncan and Black students ‘tell our truths’ at Northwest Passages event

UPDATED: Sat., Feb. 19, 2022

Every voice was lifted, and every voice sang as members of the Spokane community gathered to honor the stories of Black students and celebrate the accomplishments of Mandi Price, who worked her way from Shadle Park High School graduate to producer of some of Hollywood’s hottest television shows.

A&E >  TV

TV producer Mandi Price talks representation, Hollywood and more as she prepares for Black Stories Symposium and return to Spokane

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 16, 2022

In 2014, Mandi Price was hungry for a fruitful career. Hungry for opportunity. Hungry for Hollywood. After eight years of hard work, she has become a producer of some of America’s most beloved shows. “Now every day I look at the Hollywood sign and say, ‘Holy cow, I work here? This is real?’ ” Price said.

A&E

Immigration to the U.S.

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 16, 2022

Immigrating to the United States from anywhere and making a life for yourself is an unparalleled and admirable task. Both of my parents came from broken countries without knowing English and worked hard to build a life and provide for the family.

A&E

Life Living in Spokane, Washington

UPDATED: Wed., Feb. 16, 2022

There are many pros and cons to life in Spokane as a Black person. I moved here in 2017 and thought this town was weird, honestly. I’m so used to all the violence living in Seattle and us just minding our business. The schools in Seattle didn’t really care about your education.