Renowned fly fisher, author Seth Norman to speak at WWU Feb. 3

Fly fishers have been consummate readers for centuries – people of like mind who are fascinated by art, wildness and ideas. Their literacy opens surprising opportunities for authors to write essays, short-stories, novels, mysteries, first-person columns, travelogues, and how- and where-to pieces. At the “lyrical end” of this it’s all about character, story, and quality prose.

In a Feb. 3 presentation titled “First Person Passionate: Writing About Fly Fishing,” renowned fly fisherman and Pulitzer-nominated author Seth Norman will explore this unique craft. Treasures from Special Collections' Fly Fishing Collection will be on display. The presentation, which will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Special Collections on the sixth floor of Wilson Library, is the fourth installment of the Heritage Resources Speaker Series.

Perhaps best known for writing about fly fishing, Seth Norman has been published in all the national magazines dedicated to the sport, along with "Outdoor Life," "Field & Stream" and "Gray’s Sporting Journal." He has been the book editor for "Fly Rod & Reel" since 1997, and his "Master of Meander" column now enters its 22nd year in "California Fly Fisher."

He is also the author of "Meanderings of a Fly Fisherman," "A Fly Fisher’s Guide to Crimes of Passion" and a guide now in its 20th printing. His other work includes essays, articles, short stories, humor columns and satire, and an expose of police corruption which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.

Norman has received the Roderick Haig-Brown Award for Lifetime Achievement in Writing, the Robert Traver Award, the Jane Harrah Award for Print Media and The Golden Medallion for Public Interest Journalism.