“How do we become who we are in the world? We ask the world to teach us.” – Pam Houston

In this episode of Deviate, Pam discusses her interactions with writing students (2:30); living an non-traditional life (16:30); developing a notion of home (25:00); and how Pam’s life on the ranch affects her writing (34:00). The episode concludes with Rolf reading his short essay “Creating a new sense of home is part of the travel process.”

Pam Houston (@pam_houston) is an author and professor of English at the University of California, Davis. Her books include Cowboys Are My Weakness and Contents May Have Shifted, with her latest, Deep Creek, set for release in January 2019. For more information on Pam, check out her website at https://pamhouston.wordpress.com/

Notable Links:

• Santa Fe Writers Workshop
• “Some Kind of Calling,” by Pam Houston (essay)
• “Pam Houston on (Finally) Finding True Love” (essay)
• Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey (book)
• Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard (book)
• My Antonia, by Willa Cather (novel)
• Alice Munro (author)
• Terry Tempest Williams (author)
• The Meadow, by James Galvan (book)
• West Fork Complex (2013 wildfire)

This episode is brought you by the Santa Fe Workshops, which offer a variety of online and in-person classes and seminars in writing and photography, including “The Particular Beauty of Our Pared-Down Lives,” an online writing workshop featuring author Pam Houston (March 30 – April 15, 2021).

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.