David Gessner – Voice of the West’s Past and Present

David Gessner is an author, a professor, and one of the leading contemporary voices on the natural world and the American West. He has written ten books, including “All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West,” which is one of my all-time favorites and was a former Mountain & Prairie Book Club selection. Thanks to his influences ranging from Henry David Thoreau to Theodore Roosevelt to Wendell Berry, David preaches the gospel of appreciating “place" and protecting our wild landscapes, public lands, and fragile Western ecosystem. • I’ve been a huge fan of David’s work for many years, and have read almost everything he has written. I cannot overstate how much his writing has helped me understand both the history and the modern-day challenges of the American West, as well as the individuals who have shaped the region. Through his masterful prose, he combines history, current events, deep personal insights, and a hilarious sense of humor into amazingly impactful books. Without his writing, my interest in land conservation would be a fraction of what it is today. • David was in Colorado conducting research for a new book focused on public lands, Bears Ears, and Theodore Roosevelt, so we met up in Boulder for our conversation. In a little over an hour, we managed to cover a wide range of topics including public lands, Stegner, Abbey, TR, the idea of “Boomers and Stickers,” and the importance of place. David described how a bout with cancer helped to change his writing style and interests, and how moving to Boulder in his thirties altered the trajectory of his life and career. We discussed his writing process, his coastal writing shack, and how his approach to writing has evolved over the years. As usual, we also touched on favorite books, films, and his most powerful outdoor experience. • Meeting David and having this conversation was a dream come true for me, so many thanks to him for taking the time to chat. There are a lot of resources and other priceless information in this episode, so be sure to check the notes for links to everything. Enjoy! ••• http://mountainandprairie.com/david-gessner/ ••• TOPICS DISCUSSED: 2:48 - How David describes his work 3:45 - Where David lives 4:50 - Visit to Boulder and Western road trip 6:40 - Trip around Bears Ears 8:20 - Importance of adventure for writing 16:00 - David’s evolution toward adventure 17:05 - Bout with testicular cancer 24:00 - Lessons learned from cancer 25:45 - Lessons learned from Teddy Roosevelt 30:50 - Upcoming book centered around TR 35:50 - Personal threads that run through David’s books 37:45 - Boomers and Stickers 41:30 - Rawness of the West 43:15 - Importance of the “place” 46:10 - David’s writing shack 48:20 - How David produces so much work 52:00 - Introvert or extrovert 54:00 - Beliefs about the West that have changed over time 1:00:00 - More on the rawness of the West 1:01:15 - Recommended Abbey and Stegner books 1:05:00 - Downsides of TR 1:06:22 - Favorite books about the West 1:07:05 - Favorite films 1:08:50 - Favorite location in the West 1:09:55 - Most powerful outdoor experience 1:12:50 - Request of the listeners