A Book for All Seasons is excited to partner with the Wenatchee River Institute to welcome local author from Stehekin, Ana Maria Spagna for a talk on her book, Pushed: Miners, a Merchant, and (Maybe) a Massacre.

One day in 1875, according to lore, a large number of Chinese miners—perhaps as many as three hundred—were murdered, their bodies pushed over a cliff into the Columbia River. In her new book, Spagna explores the so-called Chelan Falls Massacre. In this talk, Spagna will describe her research into the event including encounters with historians, archaeologists, Indigenous elders, migrant workers, and descendants of “Gold Mountain sojourners.” She will explore the phenomena of historically ignored and “fake” massacres in an attempt to discover what really happened to these Chinese miner, as well as examine contemporary xenophobia in our region.

Ana Maria Spagna is the author, most recently, of PUSHED: Miners, a Merchant and (Maybe) a Massacre. Her previous books include Uplake: Restless Essays of Coming and Going, Reclaimers, stories of elder women reclaiming sacred land and water, Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus, winner of the River Teeth literary nonfiction prize, 100 Skills You’ll Need for the End of the World (as We Know It) a humor-infused exploration of how to live more lightly on the planet, as well as a middle-grade novel, The Luckiest Scar on Earth, and a poetry chapter, Mile Marker Six. Ana Maria’s work has also been recognized by the Society for Environmental Journalists, and as a four-time finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She lives in Stehekin, Washington with her wife, Laurie.

Spagna's books will be available for purchase at the event. Make sure to get them signed, too!

This is a FREE event taking place in WRI's Red Barn. Doors open at 6:30pm for a community social with beer and wine available for purchase. The presentation will start at 7:00pm. The presentation will also be available to livestream via WRI's YouTube. Can't make it? The recording will be posted to YouTube following the event.