Jeffrey Dunn
Spokane, WA
Novelist, poet, retired teacher, Ph.D. in English literature and culture studies
BOOK COVER
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: October 10, 2023
Genre: Literary Fiction, Nature & The Environment, Magic Realism
Publisher: Izzard Ink Publishing
Page Count: 404
Format, ISBN, Price:
Hardcover, 978-1-64228-094-4, $37.95
Paperback, 978-1-64228-095-1, $27.95
Ebook, 978-1-64228-096-8, $9.99
ABOUT THE BOOK
HOW DOES ONE FULLY PORTRAY A PLACE?
In Radio Free Olympia, Washington’s wild Olympic Peninsula is embodied through a captivating circle of visionaries and characters. Embark on a riveting journey into this untamed region, where folklore legends and historical icons come to life as Jeffrey Dunn weaves the threads of many voices into a complex ecological tapestry.
Follow the enigmatic Petr, a foundling whose path leads him deep into the heart of the majestic mountain rainforest. Armed with nothing but a pirate radio transmitter, Petr fearlessly broadcasts the forgotten and untamed voices that echo through the wilderness. Venture deeper into this mystical world and encounter Baie, the founder of Wildsisters, a roadhouse home for lost women infused with the essence of cranberries, who offers solace to the lost and wayward souls who cross her path.
When a newborn is kidnapped from this safe haven, Baie and her community of resilient women must unite and summon the strength to recover what has been stolen. Yet, their quest for justice extends beyond the realm of human characters—it must also be served for the fragile flora, the diverse fauna, and the very essence of the rugged terrain.
Marrying prose and poetry, fiction and history, the hard-boiled and the transcendent, Radio Free Olympia invites you to explore the profound interconnectedness between humanity and the natural world, immersing yourself in a land that transcends conventional boundaries.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeffrey Dunn is the author of cultural fiction works such as Dream Fishing the Little Spokane and a collection of poems titled Hubcap Collection Plate. Despite living with dyslexia, Dunn earned a Ph.D. in culture studies and English literature, and retired after 41 years of teaching. Radio Free Olympia is the novel he felt compelled to write after relocating to Washington State’s distinctive Olympic Peninsula.
TALKING POINTS
- How storytelling can embody a PLACE.
- The lure and lore of the Pacific Northwest and the Olympic Peninsula.
- Straightforward narrative fiction vs the anti-novel.
- Prose and poetry—can they coexist to tell one story.
- The ecological sins against the peninsula and the effects of climate change
- How wild, feral Christianity make a difference
- Dyslexia and the artistic mind
TIMELY TIE-INS
November
- National Novel Writing Month
- National Authors Day – 1
- Book Lovers Day – 4
December
- World Wildlife Conservation Day – 4
PRAISE
“Dunn has crafted a novel unlike anything else that I’ve read this year, and I found myself absolutely falling in love with the Peninsula and its wild, untamed beauty as I devoured this multi-sensory feast of a story. The craftsmanship in the wordplay and scene setting is second to none, offering not only a cinematic vision of this little microcosm of paradise but a real sense of how the ecology, culture, and attitude of the place come together to form their own personality. This is imbued into each of the central characters and adds a new layer of spirit to their personal quests for freedom, belonging, and justice, making you all the more inclined to root for the success of the community as a whole. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend Radio Free Olympia to fans of highly original and beautifully penned literary fiction.”
—Readers’ Favorite
“The novel’s blending of the ordinary and the extraordinary, the mundane and magical, is ambitious, playful, and at times challenging.”
—PW Booklife
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: Memoir / Christian Inspirational
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Count: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1647429003
Price: $15.99