Writing the Northwest: A Reporter Looks Back

Award-winning, amiable journalist Hill Williams began his career at the Kennewick Courier-Reporter in 1948 and later became a science writer for the Seattle Times. Now, after decades spent reporting Northwest news, he transforms his most memorable and favorite stories into inviting, candid narratives. He writes about Hanford, a Coast Guard officer’s heroism, whale-hunting in canoes, studying salmon at the University of Washington, and a famous dog-sled run. He recounts growing up on the dry side of Washington during the 1930s and 1940s and working before computers were ubiquitous. He reminisces about the flooding of Celilo Falls, the Columbia Irrigation Project, a nuclear test in Nevada, Mount St. Helens, and a mysterious chunk of earth in the middle of the scablands. Writing the Northwest is his third–and most personal–title with Washington State University Press.