Join John Vaillant, Peninsula College’s 2024 Writer in Residence, at a series of events at the college in late April and early May.
The college hosts a reception, co-hosted by college president Suzi Ames and professor Kate Reavey, for the award-winning author at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, in room J-47 at the Pirate Union Building PUB on the main PC campus, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., Port Angeles. At 11:30 a.m., English faculty professor Matt Teorey will facilitate a class with the author. At 1:05 p.m. that day, KONP host Todd Ortloff will interview Vaillant (tune into AM 1450 or listen at myclallamcounty.com/konp).
From 10-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1, Vaillant — courtesy of partner Port Book & News — will be in the Pirate Union Building (J-47) to sign books. From 3-5 p.m., Vaillant will speak at the Port Townsend Campus at Fort Worden State Park with faculty facilitator Kelly Doran, an event followed by a question-and-answer session.
From 12:35-1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 2, Vaillant will talk about his book “Fire Weather, Stories from a Hotter World” as part of the college’s Studium Generale series. The presentation will also be livestreamed; go to pencol-edu.zoom.us/j/89255252663 (meeting ID 892 5525 2663). From 1-4 p.m., the film “Conflict Tiger” — a film Vaillant used as inspiration for his book “The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival” — screens in the Little Theater on the main PC campus. A short question-and-answer session follows, facilitated by professor Helen Lovejoy.
Vaillant is an award-winning science and nature writer best known for his nonfiction book, “The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed,” that won the Governor General Literary Award for nonfiction, British Columbia’s National Award for Canada.
Since that honor, Vaillant has written several notable works, including “The Tiger,” “The Jaguar’s Children” and most recently, “Fire Weather, A True Story from A Hotter World” — a 2023 Finalist for the national Book Award, one of The New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year and winner of the Baillie Gifford prize in Great Britain.
