Last Thursday, Oct. 11, historical fiction author Peter Donahue visited Whitman as part of the literature department’s Visiting Writers’ Series to give a reading of his works and share insight into his past literature and future projects.  

Donahue is an expert in Pacific Northwest literature, and many of his works take place within the Pacific Northwest. During the talk, Donahue read from his most recent book, “Three Sides Water,” which is set on the Olympic Peninsula and follows three separate lives of its residents, all of whom are dealing with from some form of trauma.

The stories also take place in varying historical periods, with the first following Marguerite in the 1920s, who is recovering from sexual assault, Avery in the 1960s, who has been branded a juvenile delinquent and incarcerated for his discretions, and modern-day Chris the mill worker, torn between pursuing his passions and maintaining his steady day job. Donahue described the novellas as “coming of age tales,” that although are not directly connected, when read together describe life for individuals on all geographical sides of the peninsula.

“I thought it was pretty amazing that his work was so relevant to a lot of Whitman students. He came from across the country and writes books about coming of ages in the Pacific Northwest,” said first year Owen Stemen.

After reading an excerpt from each of the three stories, Donahue shared his upcoming project, an art-meets-literature book. The book features portraits from a Spokane based artist that he discovered when attending a play in Spokane. The artist had painted posters for the production, and upon seeing them Donahue knew a collaboration was necessary. The book will be made up of portraits paired with Donahue’s written description of the fictional characters, all of whom are friends with the faceless narrator. Attendees met three of these painted friends, who ranged from an attractive young woman to a burly ex-con worker with a gold tooth.

Donahue’s work helps bring the old Northwest to life with interesting characters that embody their time periods without being the major “historical figures” that we all know. He describes both the landscape and history of the Northwest with acute detail and compassion. For all Whitman students, his books are a must read to better understand the land in which we now reside and the rich history that nourishes it.