By Emily Matthiessen
David Guterson, an award-winning author, will be Peninsula College’s Writer-in-Residence in May 2020. “I’m looking forward to being near the Olympic Mountains, which I love and spent a lot of time in, among people with an interest in stories and poems. I look forward to sharing whatever I can and hope it’s of use to people.”
Guterson may be best known for the novel“ Snow Falling on Cedars,” which won the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award, has sold almost 4 million copies, and was made into a movie in 1999. Former Peninsula College student Boneita Smith recalls his Seminar Generale visit at the time he won the award. “His descriptions of how he did research were fascinating. Although the book was fiction, some of the characters were based on real people and events. He was a very thorough researcher.”
Guterson has published numerous books covering a wide variety of style and subject. His most recent is a collection of poetry which is an ode to hiking in the Olympic Mountains: “Turn Around Time: A Walking Poem of the Pacific Northwest.” He visited the Port Angeles Campus last autumn to read selections from this book and answer audience questions. He said, “I got there early and was able to visit The House of Learning ʔaʔk̓ʷustəƞáwt̓xʷ Longhouse. That was a beautiful building.”
The residency will be from May 12-14. Current plans include a reception, a class visit, and a radio interview with Todd Ortloff of KONP on Tuesday, May 12. On Wednesday he will be at Elwha Klallam Heritage Center in the morning, then back at campus for a presentation. On Thursday he will give a talk open to the public and then attend a film class. “I’ll be spending a lot of time over the three days of the residency meeting with people and in conversation. Interaction is what a residency is all about.”
Guterson began writing fiction when he was 21, “…and found that I enjoyed it, so I kept going. Lately I’ve found that I enjoy writing poetry too, so I do that now as well. Beyond the enjoyment I get from it I also like to think it might be a useful profession – that stories matter in people’s lives.” His advice for budding authors: “Be sort of like a marathon runner. Just keep going, no matter what. Don’t underestimate the difficulty. It’s hard and takes will.”