I have roamed the West for decades and pursued multiple career paths: writer, construction worker, angler, dirtbag. I was a reporter at The Arizona Republic, and chirped for a few years on the airwaves for KJZZ, a public radio affiliate. My book, The Worst Fishing Dog Ever: And Other Essays, was published by the University of New Mexico Press in the spring of 2026.
I continue to explore rivers and wild ground, fascinated by a connection with the natural world I felt that was palpable yet difficult to explain. Now researchers have concluded what so many of us know in our bones, that getting outside is good for you, and not just as a form of cheap therapy, but a vital part of what it means to be human.
This book of essays examines the state of modern fly-fishing, and the West, where climate change and efforts to seize public lands could reshape our future.