- Details
- Reviews
River Songs is rich with bracing, authentic, generous stories--writing that revels in language and spirit. Avoiding most of fly fishing's clichés--the romantic elegies, the Moby-Dick-like conquests, the play-by-play detailing a "victory" over a fish-- Steve Duda instead offers pieces that breathe lived experience, reveal vulnerabilities, and convey a broad perspective of what it means to have "a long run with a tight crew." Duda is interested in what has been learned out there on the river: what is it about this "ridiculous activity" that connects us to this planet, makes us human, gives us hope? River Songs focuses on the in-between moments and the unexpected revelations--awe, fear, frustration, doubt, joy--that are as much a part of fishing as tying knots and chucking flies. Readers ride along with Duda in battered pickup trucks, fish "between jobs," look longingly at unfished famous rivers while touring with a country-punk band, and wonder how a fishing trip led to getting a tooth pulled while being surrounded by trash-talking friends. They will find beauty, discovery, heartbreak, good dogs, and the wonder of nature within the expanse of Northwest landscapes and beyond. Illustrated by Matthew DeLorme; 6x8 inches, 192 pgs. Hardcover
REVIEWS:
Fly-fishing has changed since we baby boomers were young and we're not always happy about it, so it was a relief to open Steve Duda's River Songs and find an entirely recognizable world where all the familiar traditions are alive and well, including that of compelling stories told with skill and intelligence. -- John Gierach, author of Trout Bum and All the Time in the World
As full of music and movement as a river, Steve Duda's "River Songs" is for the soul of every fly-fisher. The still-water of this generous collection; contemplation. The punk-rock rapids; a rollicking good time. The nicks and dings, the smooth keel: like the best writing of all, there are stories, images, and metaphors here that will carry you away and make your life richer for the journey. -- Cameron Keller Scott, author of Watershed
You won't forget these stories. They'll make you think about your relationship with fishing and perhaps make you look at it in a different way. -- Pete Tyjas -- Fly Culture Magazine
Steve Duda, in River Songs: Moments of Wild Wonder in Fly Fishing, his first collection of essays, reminds us with attentive care to language and gloriously boisterous storytelling, why we keep coming back to rivers... -- Michael Garrigan -- Flyfisherman Magazine
Steve Duda is a poet, an essayist, and a reporter. But mostly, he is simply a fantastic storyteller. -- The Drake Magazine
...this is the kind of writing-- the kind of flyfishing writing, especially-- that you simply will not find anywhere else, for the simple reason that no one can tell a story the way that Steve Duda tells a story. Whether built on observation or an idea, whether springing from an experience or simply a hunch as to how the world works behind the scenes, they are stories that teem with the titular "wonder." It's been a long time coming, but this debut collection was well worth the wait. -- Jason Rolfe -- The Fly Fish Journal
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Duda is a writer, editor, and producer whose work in film, magazines, books, and live appearances has shaped the voice of fly fishing for over three decades. He is the former editor of The Flyfish Journal and a founding editor at Boise Weekly. Steve's cultural writing has been featured in Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, Seattle Weekly, MTV, San Francisco Bay Guardian, The Fretboard Journal, and many others. Currently, Steve is Head of Fish Tales at Patagonia, guiding the brand's fly fish activism and storytelling through film, video, web, social media, and more. He lives in Seattle with his partner and a semi-feral feline/raccoon hybrid.
REVIEWS:
Fly-fishing has changed since we baby boomers were young and we're not always happy about it, so it was a relief to open Steve Duda's River Songs and find an entirely recognizable world where all the familiar traditions are alive and well, including that of compelling stories told with skill and intelligence. -- John Gierach, author of Trout Bum and All the Time in the World
As full of music and movement as a river, Steve Duda's "River Songs" is for the soul of every fly-fisher. The still-water of this generous collection; contemplation. The punk-rock rapids; a rollicking good time. The nicks and dings, the smooth keel: like the best writing of all, there are stories, images, and metaphors here that will carry you away and make your life richer for the journey. -- Cameron Keller Scott, author of Watershed
You won't forget these stories. They'll make you think about your relationship with fishing and perhaps make you look at it in a different way. -- Pete Tyjas -- Fly Culture Magazine
Steve Duda, in River Songs: Moments of Wild Wonder in Fly Fishing, his first collection of essays, reminds us with attentive care to language and gloriously boisterous storytelling, why we keep coming back to rivers... -- Michael Garrigan -- Flyfisherman Magazine
Steve Duda is a poet, an essayist, and a reporter. But mostly, he is simply a fantastic storyteller. -- The Drake Magazine
...this is the kind of writing-- the kind of flyfishing writing, especially-- that you simply will not find anywhere else, for the simple reason that no one can tell a story the way that Steve Duda tells a story. Whether built on observation or an idea, whether springing from an experience or simply a hunch as to how the world works behind the scenes, they are stories that teem with the titular "wonder." It's been a long time coming, but this debut collection was well worth the wait. -- Jason Rolfe -- The Fly Fish Journal
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Steve Duda is a writer, editor, and producer whose work in film, magazines, books, and live appearances has shaped the voice of fly fishing for over three decades. He is the former editor of The Flyfish Journal and a founding editor at Boise Weekly. Steve's cultural writing has been featured in Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, Seattle Weekly, MTV, San Francisco Bay Guardian, The Fretboard Journal, and many others. Currently, Steve is Head of Fish Tales at Patagonia, guiding the brand's fly fish activism and storytelling through film, video, web, social media, and more. He lives in Seattle with his partner and a semi-feral feline/raccoon hybrid.
