Halibut Rodeo was inspired by a summer I spent in Homer, Alaska. Most of the characters in the book work at a fish processing plant. My intention was to write a series of stories that share characters and themes, much like Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, or even Louise Erdrich’s novel-in-stories, Love Medicine. Like Winesburg in Anderson’s book, Homer becomes a character in Halibut Rodeo. The characters are very much defined by the mountains and the sea, the harshness of the winter, and the endless days of summer.

Fiction nominated for Pushcart Prize and listed as "Notable" in "The Best American Nonrequired Reading." Nonfiction listed as "Notable" in "The Best American Travel Writing," and twice in "The Best American Essays." Awarded Fulbright to teach creative writing and American Studies at Siauliai University, Lithuania.