BYU-Idaho English Department faculty member Quinn Grover recently released his first published book titled “Wilderness of Hope: Fly Fishing and Public Lands in the American West.”
“The idea of wilderness, that wilderness itself is connected with history in America. It’s connected with the Wilderness Act and (Wallace) Stegner, but it’s often connected to the idea of escaping from civilization,” Grover said.
Grover said he has been fly fishing since his early teens and it has always been a big connection with his family. Public lands play a role in the book and what has made fly fishing a possible part of Grover’s life.
“The public lands make it possible, they make my connection with this place that I love, that’s connected and wrapped up in my family and my own personal history and even my own scholarly pursuits they make it accessible to me in a way that otherwise I don’t know how I would connect,” he said.
The book is separated into three sections: Reassurance, Reflection and Renewal. The decision to break up the book into multiple parts, he said, was to make the information more organized and less overwhelming for readers. Grover said these three sections focus on topics that fly fishing has helped him discover in his own life.
“I think sometimes in my life when I'm feeling lost at sea, I can anchor myself, paradoxically, in water,” Grover said. “If I go fishing, things that were confusing to me can become clear and I feel more sort of centered in what I want to do.” You can purchase “Wilderness of Hope” online at nebraskapress.unl.edu in a hardcover copy or as an eBook.