Sam Owen’s Split was just released by The Indpendent Writers’ Studio in Bellingham this month. It takes its title from the poem of the same title, a piece distinctly Methow having its roots in the Carlton Fire.

Says Sam: “As I assembled these poems I noted the frequent use of the words map, deer, and granite. My childhood was spent in New Hampshire, the Granite State, where I explored rural back roads and fields, discovered a hidden source of pink lady slipppers, shoveled off cow ponds to skate in circles, and snuck into an abandoned railroad station to find schedules from 1938 still nailed to the walls. Mule deer are frequent visitors to my hard and back porch. And maps–they are a galaxy of discoveries, odd facts, and potential destinations. I’ve lived in six states, traveled to many countries, islands, and continents and am still seeking the next best place. Deciding which to love the most, I am split between here, there, and there.”