WWU to host the panel discussion 'Border Songs: Perspectives on Crossing the Line' Feb. 23

Jim Lynch, author of “Border Songs,” will discuss border issues in our community during the panel discussion “Border Songs: Perspectives on Crossing the Line” at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, in Wilson Library 164 on the WWU campus.

This event is free and open to the public and is a part of Whatcom READS!, the community-wide reading and discussion program.

Lynch first became interested with the U.S.-Canadian Border during his time covering security issues after Sept. 11 as a regional reporter, and he said he found it fascinating that the two countries were separated only by a drainage ditch in some sections.

“One thing that's always interested me about the border is that it's practically a magnet for temptation," he said.

These experiences as a border security reporter lead him to write “Border Songs,” which focuses on characters from both sides of the border during the dramatic increase in the number of Border Patrol agents after Sept.11.

Lynch studied English and creative writing at the University of Washington and went on to work for newspapers from Alaska to Washington, D.C., including The Seattle Times.

Panelists for the discussion include: Greg Boos, local immigration attorney; John Bates, chief patrol agent of the Border Patrol’s Blaine office; Rosalind Guillen, executive director of Community to Community Development; and Gene Davis, retired deputy chief of the U.S. Border Patrol.

This event is sponsored by Whatcom READS!, Western Libraries, and WWU’s Border Policy Research Institute.

For more information about this event, contact Paul Piper, librarian of WWU’s Department of Instruction and Research Services, at (360) 650-3097 or Paul.Piper@wwu.edu.