This October, Dartmouth Alumni Relations invites you to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic novella by Norman Maclean ’24, A River Runs Through It.
The semi-autobiographical story, after initially being rejected by major New York publishing houses, was published in 1976, and has gone on to define modern outdoor & western literature. The story has connected readers with their sense of place among nature, rivers, and the sport of fly fishing.
To mark this milestone, we are thrilled to have the author of Maclean's biography, Rebecca McCarthy, for a conversation about his writing and legacy. She will be joined by director of the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative and member of the Class of 1997 Rosi Kerr.
Registrants may submit questions ahead of time or save them to ask live.
Following the Author Talk, connect with the Dartmouth Book Club community and continue exploring A River Runs Through It and other stories through weekly online discussions. The Author Talk is hosted by the Dartmouth Book Club.
About the book
From its first magnificent sentence, “In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing,” to the last, “I am haunted by waters,” A River Runs through It is an American classic.
Based on Norman Maclean’s childhood experiences, A River Runs through It has established itself as one of the most moving stories of our time; it captivates readers with vivid descriptions of life along Montana’s Big Blackfoot River and its near magical blend of fly fishing with the troubling affections of the heart.
About the author
Norman Maclean, born in Iowa in 1902, was a professor at the University of Chicago and major figure in American literature. His family moved to Montana in 1909 and Norman later joined the US Forest Service, both of which influenced much of his later writing. While attending Dartmouth, Norman took creative writing classes taught by Robert Frost and served as the editor in chief of the humor magazine the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern. His successor as editor-in-chief was none other than Theodor Geisel, better known under his pen name Dr. Seuss.
After graduating in 1924, Maclean stayed in Hanover as an instructor until moving to the University of Chicago, where he built a reputation as an adored and magnetic lecturer. After retiring from teaching in 1973, he began writing and publishing, including the novella A River Runs Through It and other stories, which propelled him to literary fame. Maclean passes away in 1990, leaving a legacy of American outdoor storytelling and connection with nature that continues to persist today.
About the hosts
Writer, editor, and poet Rebecca McCarthy has written for the New York Times, Fast Company, the Bitter Southerner, and the American Scholar, among several other publications. She was an award-winning reporter with the Atlanta Journal Constitution and worked for newspapers in Florida, South Carolina, and Connecticut. Rebecca holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. She worked for the US Forest Service in Region 1, fighting forest fires and marking timber. In 2024, McCarthy published the biography: Norman MacLean: A Life of Letters and Rivers.
Rosi Kerr ’97 is the director of the Dartmouth Climate Collaborative. Rosi and the DCC aim to transform Dartmouth into a global leader of sustainability scholarship, education, and action. She brings experience in community-based energy systems, energy markets, environmental nonprofits and organizational change to her role. She loves doing fun things with her kids, the far North, hiking, rowing, bikes (especially old ones), and cooking brunch.
Contact: Dartmouth Alumni Relations