Fishtrap has announced that the 2013 Wallowa County Reads program will focus on A River Runs Through It, a novel based on the childhood experiences of author Norman Maclean.

Everyone in the county is encouraged to read the book, and invited to a full program of book-related events that will run from Jan. 17 through Feb. 10.

Fishtrap feels the book is an ideal fit with Wallowa County, taking place in a valley very similar to our own with themes of fishing, religion and the challenges of growing up running throughout the text, according to program coordinator Ben Hayes.

This year the Fishtrap read is not affiliated with the Big Read program of the National Endowment for the Arts, so is calling itself Wallowa County Reads instead of Big Read. This is the eighth year of a winter community read program, centered around a single book.

We wanted something that was very special and relevant to Wallowa County rather than choosing from the list of 20 books in the official Big Read, Hayes said.

The free community read will kick off on Jan. 17 at Hurricane Creek Grange Hall with An Introduction to Norman Maclean: The Man, The Family, The Author.   The event will include a live interview of Jim Hepworth, editor of the collection, Norman Maclean, from the American Authors series, and an expert on the Maclean family history.

A drawing will be held for tickets to the limited-seating evening Feb. 5 event with the authors son, John Maclean. The Bookloft will be on hand with copies of A River Runs Through It and the young-readers companion book, Heart of a Shepherd for sale.

Following the kick-off, Fishtrap has a full schedule with at least two events per week, usually on Tuesday and Thursday, at 7 p.m.

The events include:

A presentation by fisherman, poet and scholar Henry Hughes at Fishtrap House on Jan. 22 titled Norman Maclean and the Literature of Angling.

A Jan. 24 discussion of the role gambling plays in the book, as well as other addiction issues with staff members of Wallowa Valley Center for Wellness. The presentation will be followed by a poker night with a local community group. 

A community fishing day on the Imnaha River on Friday, Jan. 25, followed by a discussion of angling. Fish Like Norm and Paul is open to anyone interested in what fishing in January in Wallowa County is like.

A movie version of The Ranger, The Cook and a Hole in the Sky, one of Norman Macleans short stories included in A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, will be shown Jan. 28 at locations in Joseph, Enterprise and Wallowa.

Author Rosanne Parry will visit schools and give a presentation on parallels between her book Heart of a Shepherd and Macleans A River Runs Through It. She will speak Jan. 30 at the Presbyterian Church in Lostine, with additional discussion at the no-host taco night at the Lostine Tavern.

A reading and book release celebration of Esperanza Fire, John Macleans latest non-fiction account of wildfires and the people who fight them, the evening of Monday, Feb. 4, at Fishtrap House. The next night John Maclean will give an intimate, limited seating, presentation about his fathers legacy. Seating will be selected by a drawing.

 The film adaptation of A River Runs Through It will be shown on Feb. 7 at the Josephy Center in Joseph. The film was a career highlight for Robert Redford and helped to launch Brad Pitt into his successful career.

Wallowa County Reads will end with a community-wide celebration, potluck and quiz-show at 5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 10, at Enterprise school multipurpose room. Fishtrap invites all community members to form teams to test their knowledge of A River Runs Through It.

The finale admission is $10 at the door; all other events during the community read are free.

Fishtrap will provide 100 free copies of A River Runs Through It to Wallowa County Schools, as well as copies of Heart of a Shepherd. The books are being taught in classrooms throughout the county, and many of the visiting speakers will spend time with middle and high-school classes.

Among contributors to the program this year are the Lions Club, Wallowa County Cultural Trust, the City of Enterprise and many individual donors.

This is the eighth community read put on by Fishtrap, which is celebrating 25 years of writing and the West this year.

For a full schedule and additional details please visit www.fishtrap.org or call at 541-426-3623. A full schedule will also be available in local papers, coffee shops and at the Bookloft in early January.