The author reads the section of his novel The spectator bird that deals with a boat trip to Europe, the death of a passenger, and the sense of rootlessness experienced by the narrator. The second reading is from Crossing to safety. It chronicles the tensions in the lives of two couples who have joined together for a week-long walking trip.
Wallace Earle Stegner was an American historian, novelist, short story writer, and environmentalist. Some call him "The Dean of Western Writers." He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 and the U.S. National Book Award in 1977.