Many people find peace in nature and for University of Idaho alumnus and author, David Neiwert, nothing helps him recuperate after a long day like kayaking with killer whales.
Neiwert recently made a trip to Moscow to visit his alma mater, but also to promote his most recent book, “Of Orcas and Men,” a work about the ways in which a series of dams on the Snake River is impacting the Southern Resident whale population.
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UI alum and author David Neiwert speaks to an audience about his newest book, “Of Orcas and Men.”
“A lot of what you”ll find in the book is my personal experience around whales,” Neiwert said. “I”ll admit, the time I go out and spend on a kayak hanging out with orcas is a time of spiritual recuperation for me, a way of dealing with the haters.”
Neiwert, an Idaho native who has published six books on a variety of different social issues, said writing on the subject of orcas was prompted by his time as a journalist.
“I first started as a newspaper journalist in 1978, I covered everything from sports, cops and courts, to city council,” he said. “I started freelancing in the 1990s because I didn”t want to stay with newspapers. That led to writing about killer whales and I”ve stayed with the subject over the years.”
Neiwert, who currently writes for the Southerwn Poverty Law Center, said he first pointed out the link between orcas and the Snake River dams in an article written for Seattle Weekly back in 2006.
“I was the first journalist to call attention to the link between the dams and the whale population,” he said. “We”ve started talking more about this problem in the last couple of years … I was kind of ahead of the curve and it”s catching up with me now.”
Neiwert held a book signing for “Of Orcas and Men” at BookPeople on Sept. 3 as a means of promoting awareness for the book while also listening to the thoughts of locals who deeply care about the subject.
Carol Spurling, co-manager and buyer of BookPeople, said the book signing event was arranged with the help of UI faculty member, Kenton Bird.
Spurling said the signing was timely because the subject of Neiwart”s latest book is one that many people are passionate about.
“This is a book we”d normally have, but we brought in extra for the signing too,” Spurling said. “There”s a lot of local interest in this issue.”
The dams, which are causing a tremendous decline in the killer whales” primary food source, were originally created for farmers to barge their wheat down the Columbia River from Lewiston.
Neiwert said one of the remaining challenges today is bringing down the misconception that barging is still a necessary source of revenue for Lewiston.
“Barging has now become a non-entity, it”s too expensive to barge and the purpose of the dams has been superseded by economic reality,” he said. “We”re spending far too much money trying to keep these dams up when we actually don”t benefit from them and they”re hurting an entire population of whales.”
“Of Orcas and Men” is Neiwert”s sixth book and with it, he hopes to draw attention to the severity of the dam”s effects on the endangered species.
In all of his books, Neiwert said he tries blending journalism with creative writing and considers his writing to delve into the realm of literary nonfiction.
“I”m trying to write a book that appeals to people”s aesthetic sense while also providing the information a journalist would,” he said. “I try to be informative but also a little more artful in what I write.”
While Neiwert has been successful in a number of different endeavors over the years, he said he ultimately attributes said success to the hard work he”s put into his writing.
“I”m not anybody special, I”m a just a guy,” Neiwert said. “I”m just an ordinary guy, but I”ve worked hard at developing my craft … and that”s the thing when it comes to writing, you have to be willing to put in the work.”
In addition to working hard, Neiwert said in many ways, he also has UI to thank for his career.
“I was an English major at UI and in being one, I learned the value of finding my own voice as a writer,” Neiwert said. “That”s an essential step every writer has to take, finding their voice, and it doesn”t come easy.”
Corrin Bond can be reached at [email protected]