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HOW CRAIG CAME TO MAINE
It's been nearly a full season now on the Midcoast of Maine, and the settling in has begun in earnest. Craig recently joined the Boothbay Register newspaper as a news correspondent—bringing him full-circle to the start of his journalism career 30 years ago. He wrote this about the experience of changing homes in midlife:
"One of the great things about being here, and one of the reasons we know we chose well, is that Mainers have made us feel so welcome. They are, as [our real estate agent] told us, “wicked nice.” (They have much in common with Montanans in that respect, so again, it felt like home from the get-go.)"
Check out the full essay here.
It's been nearly a full season now on the Midcoast of Maine, and the settling in has begun in earnest. Craig recently joined the Boothbay Register newspaper as a news correspondent—bringing him full-circle to the start of his journalism career 30 years ago. He wrote this about the experience of changing homes in midlife:
"One of the great things about being here, and one of the reasons we know we chose well, is that Mainers have made us feel so welcome. They are, as [our real estate agent] told us, “wicked nice.” (They have much in common with Montanans in that respect, so again, it felt like home from the get-go.)"
Check out the full essay here.
Craig's featured work
THIS IS WHAT I WANT
Craig's fifth novel, released in 2015, is the story of a small Montana town and the forces pulling it in different directions. It's also the story of Sam Kelvig and his grasping attempts at holding on to his family, every bit as tenuous as the town where they live. It was a High Plains Book Award fiction finalist.
Craig says: "In all honesty, it's a book that didn't connect widely with readers, which is always disappointing. But I'm steadfastly proud of it."
From the back cover: In the sweltering heat of a Montana July, the small town of Grandview readies for its annual Jamboree. The event is meant to celebrate community, but this year tensions boil over, threatening to tear the town, and a family, apart.
Sam Kelvig, a third-generation resident, will do just about anything to protect Grandview from the influx of new oil money and the strangers chasing it. Meanwhile, his restless wife, Patricia, wearies of the constraints of marriage to a man who is so tied to his community; Sam's estranged son, Norby, has reluctantly returned home despite the family's struggle with accepting his sexuality; Henrik, Sam's volatile brother, is looking for any easy opportunity; and Blanche, the family matriarch, only wants a bit of peace before she dies. As Jamboree goes into full swing, the disputes and desires of the Kelvigs—and their friends and neighbors—collide, fueled by both longtime resentments and an irrepressible hope to preserve their family and hometown.
Craig's fifth novel, released in 2015, is the story of a small Montana town and the forces pulling it in different directions. It's also the story of Sam Kelvig and his grasping attempts at holding on to his family, every bit as tenuous as the town where they live. It was a High Plains Book Award fiction finalist.
Craig says: "In all honesty, it's a book that didn't connect widely with readers, which is always disappointing. But I'm steadfastly proud of it."
From the back cover: In the sweltering heat of a Montana July, the small town of Grandview readies for its annual Jamboree. The event is meant to celebrate community, but this year tensions boil over, threatening to tear the town, and a family, apart.
Sam Kelvig, a third-generation resident, will do just about anything to protect Grandview from the influx of new oil money and the strangers chasing it. Meanwhile, his restless wife, Patricia, wearies of the constraints of marriage to a man who is so tied to his community; Sam's estranged son, Norby, has reluctantly returned home despite the family's struggle with accepting his sexuality; Henrik, Sam's volatile brother, is looking for any easy opportunity; and Blanche, the family matriarch, only wants a bit of peace before she dies. As Jamboree goes into full swing, the disputes and desires of the Kelvigs—and their friends and neighbors—collide, fueled by both longtime resentments and an irrepressible hope to preserve their family and hometown.
Craig recommends
LAWN BOY
Craig says: If there's a writer working today who imbues his stories with more heart than Jonathan Evison, I don't know who it is. His latest, Lawn Boy, features a main character you can't help but love. Mike Munoz is the working poor in a place of great affluence, a guy who mows lawns and dreams of much more. This wonderful story intersects with race and economic policy and politics—all the hot buttons of our time—in a way that is both timeless and prescient. I love all of Jonathan's work. This may be my favorite of all.
Craig says: If there's a writer working today who imbues his stories with more heart than Jonathan Evison, I don't know who it is. His latest, Lawn Boy, features a main character you can't help but love. Mike Munoz is the working poor in a place of great affluence, a guy who mows lawns and dreams of much more. This wonderful story intersects with race and economic policy and politics—all the hot buttons of our time—in a way that is both timeless and prescient. I love all of Jonathan's work. This may be my favorite of all.