Podcast appearances and mentions of aaron parrett

Fourth-generation Montanan Russell Rowland is a critically-acclaimed author of six books, a teacher, and a radio and podcast host. From the written to the spoken word, he is a true voice of the Big Sky Country. We chat about his newest book, "Cold Country", his travels around the nation, and his future in baseball.You can hear Russell every first Monday of the month on Yellowstone Public Radio for his program, "56 Counties" where he interviews the people of Montana, around Montana (www.ypradio.org/programs/56-counties)! Or, you can hear him on his podcast, "Breakfast in Montana", where he and writer, Aaron Parrett, discuss two Montana books per episode (www.breakfastinmontana.com). Also, check out his website at www.russellrowland.com to stay up-to-date with events and to find where to purchase his material.

For Episode Fifteen, Aaron Parrett and Russell Rowland have a fabulous conversation with John Taliaferro, biographer extraordinaire, about his new book, Grinnell, about George Bird Grinnell, the man who was called the Father of American Conservation at the time of his death. We also talk about a couple of Grinnell's own books, The Fighting Cheyennes, and Blackfoot Lodge Tales.

Our podcast today was recorded in front of a live audience on May 9, 2019, at The Myrna Loy in Helena, MT. 8 storytellers shared their true personal story on the theme “Getting Away With It”. Today we hear from four of those storytellers. Aaron Parrett, along with his band of misfits, buys weed from the Deputy Sheriff in Anchorage, Alaska, then have to figure out how to get it across the Canadian border. Aaron calls his story “Dux Femina Facti”. Aaron Parrett is a professor of English at the University of Providence. His most recent book is MAPLE & LEAD, a collection of short stories with woodcuts by Seth Roby. He also runs The Territorial Press in Helena, Montana, devoted to fine letterpress editions of hand-crafted Montana literature. Learn more about Aaron at aaronparrett.org. Maddi Weisberg, is on a road trip with her good friend on their way to attend a mutual friend’s wedding. They barely avoid death, as a stray airborne tire smashes into their car. Maddi calls her story “The One Where They Almost Died”. Madi Weisberg is an adventure seeker, who loves the security of a familiar routine. Born and raised in the flat suburbs of Detroit, she became enamored with the mountains during a love affair with Western North Carolina. She landed in Helena 2 1/2 years ago, wary, but eager to settle down. Now equipped with a dog, a state job, and a reduced tolerance for traffic, Helena is home. Melissa Quale shares her tale of poor decision making in Europe. She calls her story “Stonechip in the Windscreen and other Misadventures in Ireland”. Melissa Quale is a native Montanan who returned home about five years ago after living in Seattle, — Washington D.C., and San Francisco. It was in San Francisco that she became interested in storytelling through the Moth story slam events. Melissa is an avid traveler and seeker of adventure. Virginia Reeves explores the difference between criminals and non-criminals, in a wild ride from Montana, to Ohio and back. She calls her story “Toast”. Virginia Reeves teaches writing, communications, and literature at Helena College, where she also founded the Necessary Narratives program–a service that helps students identify, craft, and record their own personal stories. Learn about her project, at necessarynarratives.org. Virginia’s first novel, Work Like Any Other, was long-listed for the 2016 Man Booker Prize, and her second novel, The Behavior of Love, was released in early May 2019. She’s listened to many stories about criminal records and has realized that the line we draw between criminals and non-criminals, is more about timing and luck, than about actual individuals. Learn more about Virginia and her work at virginia-reeves.com.

For their tenth episode of Breakfast in Montana, Montana authors Russell Rowland and Aaron Parrett discuss the poetry of former Montana Poet Laureate Earl Craig, discussing his most recent collection, Woods and Clouds Interchangeable. and from the final collection of poetry by Butte poet Ed Lahey, titled Moving On.

For their ninth episode of Breakfast in Montana, Montana writers Russell Rowland and Aaron Parrett take a break from their usual format of discussing two Montana books to honor a writer who has published more than 80 novels. Richard Wheeler has been a finalist for ten Spur Awards, the highest honor for Western literature, and won the award six times. And he didn't get published until he was almost fifty!! Hear more about his story and his writing here.

In the eighth episode of Breakfast in Montana, authors Aaron Parrett and Russell Rowland discuss two outstanding memoirs. The first is The Story of Mary MacLane, also known as I Await the Devil's Coming, a worldwide sensation when it was published in 1902 by a nineteen-year-old aristocrat from Butte. The second is Driven: A White-Knuckled Ride to Heartbreak and Back, a book that explores Melissa Stephenson's experience with her brother's suicide. Stephenson's unique approach to this story is through the cars that she and her family owned over the course of their lives.

For this episode, Montana writers Aaron Parrett and Russell Rowland discuss two poetry collections by poets from Helena, Notes from a Novel by Frieda Fligelman and Natalie Peeterse's Black Birds, Blue Horse, the winner of the Gold Line Press Chapbook competition. We also interview Natalie about her writing process as well as her own small press, Open Country.

For this episode of Breakfast in Montana, writers Russell Rowland and Aaron Parrett discuss two books that should have received more acclaim, Matt Pavelich's short story collection, Survivors Said, and a 1979 novel published by Dirck Van Sickle called Montana Gothic.

For the fifth episode of Breakfast in Montana, Russell Rowland and Aaron Parrett discuss two of the most commercially successful Montana writers, Ivan Doig and Jamie Ford. We talk about the mysterious nature of successful books, and Jamie Ford tells us about his responsibility to write about the stories of Chinese immigrants in America.

In this episode of Breakfast in Montana, hosts Russell Rowland and Aaron Parrett discuss two books by Montana authors, The Hanging Tree by Dorothy Johnson, and Shaking Out the Dead, by Kate Cholewa. The Hanging Tree was made into a film starring Gary Cooper, another Montanan, one of several Johnson stories that made it to film. And yet she has never gained quite the status of male writers from her era like A. B. Guthrie. Cholewa's novel explores many similar topics, and we discuss the myth about women writers having a different style.

A philosophical discussion in the principal’s office changes the course of young Aaron Parrett’s life. A few years after that conversation, he has the unexpected opportunity to apologize for the behavior that landed him in the principal’s office in the first place. Aaron calls his story “How to Make a Teacher Cry”. Aaron Parrett is a professor of English at the University of Providence. His most recent book is MAPLE & LEAD, a collection of short stories with woodcuts by Seth Roby. He also runs The Territorial Press in Helena, Montana, devoted to fine letterpress editions of hand-crafted Montana literature. Learn more about Aaron at aaronparrett.org. After years of struggle with the emotional damage that comes from abuse, Elizabeth Rivard comes to believe that the beauty of the world can be found in the human heart. She calls her story “A Beautiful Heart”. Elizabeth Rivard grew up in a very large family in Buffalo, NY. She fell in love with stories at the family dining room table, where they were a regular occurrence. Being one of the youngest siblings, she was mostly a listener. Her family still shares stories when they get together – it’s one of their favorite things to do. Chelsia Rice and her partner take a long train ride to Minneapolis where they hope to get better information about Chelsia’s recent cancer diagnosis. In the midst of their fear and confusion about the diagnosis, they are reminded of the kindness of strangers. Chelsia calls her story “On a Train to Cancer Town”. Chelsia Rice moved to Montana in 2011 to join her partner, and within a year was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive bladder cancer. It was then that she finally learned about the greatness of love that is born of community and sometimes comes from complete strangers. She is an advocate for cancer patients, teens and misfits; a lover of arts and literature, and a writer of nonfiction. She believes in resilience, is a survivor, and is also a crazy bird lady. Bob Yost certainly didn’t see it coming when he receives a text from his wife as he unpacks the U-Haul after a big move. Bob calls his story “If Love Was Easy”. His regular daytime career has been working with taxes in Indiana, Oregon, and Montana. His nighttime gigs were playing drums in the bands: Brand-X, Jack Daniels, Sodbusters and last few years, sitting in as the drummer for Tom Catmull in the Clerics, Radio Static, and The Last Resort. His greatest joys come from his family plus helping raise wonderful children that prove he did something right! Learn more about Bob and his music at baptismbar.com

This episode of Tell Us Something was recorded in front of a live audience on April 6, 2017 at Free Ceramics in Helena, MT. 9 storytellers shared their story. The theme was “The First Time”. Today’s podcast comes to us from Aaron Parrett and is titled  “Confessions of a Dissolute Banjoist”. Thank you for listening. With a banjo on his knee, Aaron Parrett entertains a group of Japanese businessmen at their fishery in Alaska where he eats sushi for the first time. Aaron Parrett is a professor of literature and a letterpress printer at The Territorial Press in Helena Montana. He is working with artist Seth Roby to make a letterpress book that will include nine stories he’s written and 13 wood engravings.

Montana’s relationship to Americana music is as wide and deep as the famed Missouri River that inspired countless musicians seated at its shores. From the fiddling of Pierre Cruzatte and George Gibson in the Corps of Discovery to the modern-day loner folk of Joey Running Crane and Cameron Boster, the Treasure State inspires the production of top-notch country music. In the 1950s, bands like the Snake River Outlaws fostered a long-standing love of hillbilly honky-tonk, and in the 1970s, the Mission Mountain Wood Band added a homegrown flavor of its own. Contemporary acts like the Lil’ Smokies and songwriter Martha Scanlan promise a vibrant future for the local sound. Author and musician Aaron Parrett explores this history in his new book on which this talk is based. (Thursday Night at the Museum, 10/20/2016)

Helena author Aaron Parrett discusses his book—Literary Butte—which examines the works of such authors as Mary MacLane, Dashiell Hammett, Ivan Doig, and many others who told the story of the Mining City in their own unique ways. Movies—like Perch of the Devil (1927), The Sisters (1937), and Evel Knievel (1971)—are also included in Parrett’s presentation and book. (Presence of the Past Program Series, May 7, 2015)