The Last Book I Read: A Recommendation From Landry Cash

Wild and Distant Seas by Tara Karr Roberts

Tara Karr Roberts’s 2024 novel Wild and Distant Seas offers a fresh perspective on feminine resilience and the power of memory. This narrative is about four women who are all connected to the character Ishmael from Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby-Dick.

Wild and Distant Seas begins with Evangeline Hussey, the matriarch of four generations, who possesses a magical gift (that will eventually be passed down to her descendants). Evangeline hosts Ishmael at her inn on Nantucket before he sails away to hunt the infamous white whale. After their brief, but strong, connection, Evangeline is left with a secret child, prompting these remarkable women to navigate their own lives, their journeys spanning across Nantucket to Boston, Brazil, Florence—even Idaho—as they also search for the truth of their family legacy.

There were times I’d forget I was reading until I needed to turn the page of this beautiful novel. The language is so vivid, it’s hard not to imagine walking alongside these women in the bustling streets of cities or gently rocking on the waves in a steam ship or looking out a train window, watching the grasses of the prairie go by. Unputdownable. That’s what this book is!

With lyrical prose and beautifully written characters, Wild and Distant Seas focuses on the perspective of the women who were left out of stories of male ambition, making this a great read if you’re seeking female-centric and atmospheric historical fiction.

Poster with circles and a sperm whale in the middle containing details about Tara Karr Roberts’s reading. Reading is at the Lewiston Public Library on Friday, April 10, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

From the Archives – Robert Wrigley

Spring 1997

ON HEARING A WOLF’S HOWL


This is no coyote’s warble and bark.
It soars into the canyon’s very stones
and sets the pine needles quivering.
Even the moonlight trembles.


Maybe the wolverine, most fearless
and furtive of all these woods’ creatures,
does not take note. Maybe the bull moose,
placid and massive, merely nods.


But the cliffs stand still and listen,
and the creek picks up its nervous pace.
Deer bedded down in their thickets
test the wind, consider again the avenues of flight.


At my feet in the tent, the dog whimpers.
How much, she must wonder, can any man
be trusted, and what of these walls
that god-cry passes through like a sermon?


Or coming back, its ever fainter echo,
like a whisper, saying what, saying why,
saying who? It is 1:01 a.m.
By moon glow 1 see her silhouette shiver.


By matchlight, her pupils, blue-green
and bottomless, shine back at me.
1 am in them, looking her way,
and something else—movement,


canter, stealth in the blood—
when in the tent’s windless basilica,
among our two held breaths,
the match flutters once, and goes out.

AFTER THE FLOOD


These are the halcyon days
of heavy equipment, the back-up beeps
from bulldozers and dump trucks
more common than bird song, the air,
my wife maintains, so redolent
of testosterone a deep breath
can bring on a beard. Yesterday
we watched two men in a motorboat
salvage lumber from a back-eddy pool.
The river boiled beneath them,
treacherous with deadheads and flotsam.
Neither man wore a life jacket
of course. We’d spread a blanket
under a tree, the kids collected ladybugs
for the garden. I wanted to kiss her neck,
her shoulders bare in the sun for the first time
in months. Your age, she said, or younger.
I reconsidered my cigar. By now
they must have had enough
lumber to frame a small house
or a barn—two-by-sixes, two-by-eights,
straight-grained fir and pine, no common
yard stuff, only select. Imagine
starting over, she said. A gable floated by,
a tatter of black tarpaper trailing.
For a moment, I was a hole in the air,
like the shape of a house
where a house had been, or a room—
a bedroom after love, the kitchen
by meal light and laughter.
Everything gone, she said.
And it was, the scrape and beep of roadwork,
the furtive, early bird songs,
even the calls of the children
at another vivid hatch of bugs.
I was falling into the light, I think, I was
swallowed by silence, when the line came,
the outboard whine driving men
and wood upstream, and one man—
bless his fool heart and mine—
waved his cap at us and whooped.
They had all they could carry
this load. They’d be back
to begin again. I rose
from where I lay and nuzzled her neck.
She laughed and shrank from the itch
of my whiskers, then turned
and kissed me back.

Robert Wrigley is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Idaho.  He has published thirteen books of poems, most recently The True Account of Myself As a Bird (Penguin Random House, 2022). He lives with his wife, the writer Kim Barnes, on Moscow Mountain.

TRR Is Going on Spring Break!

The TRR team is happy to report that we’ve finalized all contributions to Issue 60. We’re going on spring break next week and are looking forward to working on the layout of the issue when we return. 

We’re also excited to share that on Friday, April 10, award-winning, Moscow-based writer, Tara Karr Roberts, will be giving a reading at the Lewiston Public Library, at 7:00 p.m., as part of the Humanities Division’s Visiting Writer series. For more information about the event, please click here. We hope to see you at the reading! 

From the Community – Nathalie Barroso

Hi! My name is Nathalie Barroso, and this is my third semester as an editor of Talking River Review. I am a sophomore here at LC State, majoring in nursing and minoring in publishing arts. I originally came to college with my mind set solely on nursing; however, TRR’s advisor, Jennifer Anderson, roped me into the idea of minoring in publishing arts and I am so grateful she did!  

I have enjoyed this last year of working with a team to create wonderful journals to be adored by so many. Through TRR, I have been able to do a vast number of tasks such as selling books, leading a writing workshop, and even as far as directly working with a contributor. 

Outside of TRR, you can also catch me twirling around in a bright yellow dress as I am a dancer/coach for LC’s Latin American Culture Club’s traditional Mexican dance group, Dos Rios Folklorico. Additionally, if you have any questions about studying abroad, come ask me! I studied in Costa Rica summer ’25 and now stand as a Global Ambassador for WorldStrides, the company I studied abroad through. 

I am happy to announce last Friday I received the wonderful news that I’ve been accepted into LC’s fall 2026 nursing cohort. As exciting as this is, my time with TRR will have to come to a pause as my new schedule will clash with the journal’s Friday morning meetings. I’ll still be around for another two years, so I hope to continue to contribute to the journal and group when I can. 

Talking River Review has allowed me to blossom my inclination towards writing and reading, and I can’t wait to see how I can incorporate this with my life that revolves around the sciences. 

I hope you guys are as excited for Issue 60 as we are! 

From the Community – Jessica Evans

Howdy! My name is Jessica Evans. I’m a bona-fide country girl, lover of all things horse, and avid reader. I’ve been with TRR for a whopping five semesters, and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. While I’ve never served as a member of the board, I’ve always tried to be ready to serve anywhere, as TRR offers a valuable opportunity to college students. My tasks include reading and reviewing poetry and prose as they are submitted to the journal, and I love being able to read creative works from people all over the world, in every situation of life.

Besides TRR, I am finishing out my Liberal Arts degree with a class on Forensic Science, and after my graduation this spring (May 2026), I’ll likely be enlisting into the Military as intelligence, and I hope to use my experience in communication and the written word to keep our country safe. 

In my spare time, I like to spend time with my horse, and together we ride our local trails, attend local events, and compete in Dressage. I also like to spend time writing my book, reading when I get the chance, and spending time outside with my many, many animals. 

Over the years, there have been many things that have shaped my love for reading and writing, but TRR has been instrumental in developing my respect for poetry, and I love the debate and conversation that come along with each submission in our Friday morning sessions. I carry my experience into everything I do, whether that’s school, my work, teaching my orange cat tricks, or riding my little red mare into the sunset. I am so excited to see what life has in store for me, and I can’t wait to return to TRR in the future years, not just as an editor, but also as a published author.

What TRR Is Up To

Our team is excited to be on spring break soon, but we will still be continuing our work on the current issue! This next week we are working through our last few poetry submissions to get us on track to lock down Issue 60 and move on to layout.

You may have heard that we are participating in LC’s Student Spring Market on May 2nd. We will be selling blank customized Talking River Review journals for you to keep track of all of your creative ideas as well as handmade literary themed pins. Don’t forget to stop by our booth!

Mid-Term Check In

Hello! We would love to take a minute and check in with our readers! During class today, we officially locked down all of the prose pieces for Issue 60. We have a great collection of fiction and non-fiction works. Next week, we hope to also lock down the poetry. We are so excited to be publishing work from many students, as well as the art from LC’s art Professor, Kelsey Grafton.  

Even though we are close to locking in Issue 60, you can still submit your work for future issues. We will begin discussing submissions for Issue 61 near the end of this semester.

We are always looking for LC State student submissions. To bypass our submission fee, contact us from your LC email at trr@lcsc.edu

On May 2nd, TRR is participating in the Student Spring Market, where LC students can sell their products. You will find booths selling jewelry, baked goods, crafts, etc. There will also be many students performing, including the dance team, The Latin American Culture Club, and other local bands.  

From the Community: The Center for Arts & History

Downtown—nestled between quaint coffee shops and local restaurants—is a two-storey, classic brick building with an ever-changing rotation of vivid, intricate art. The Center for Arts & History, operated in conjunction with LCSC, is a staple of the Lewiston community. Each fall and spring, the Center hosts a new exhibition, showcasing local artists and their diverse range of specialties. Open on Tuesday through Friday from 10–5 PM as well as Saturday from 11–3 PM, the Center always invites you to stop by for a peek. This season, their exhibit is Primal Forces: Fire.

The downstairs exhibit boasts a myriad of quilt work, each differing from the last. Some are composed of bold reds and bright oranges, while others take a gentler approach with soft browns and muted blues. The thrilling collection of colors, the shimmering fabrics, and the combinations of varying textiles demand your attention. They range from comforting to provoking to inspiring, and each interprets the idea and the purpose of fire in a different way. For the most part, the pieces are united in form, color, and, of course, theme. It gives the exhibition coherence, drawing visitors further and further in until you’re entirely swept up in the story. Each piece simultaneously stands out yet blends together, making it impossible to tell start from finish. You’re simply left to experience, floating from piece to piece, seeing, but more importantly, feeling.

The upstairs is similar to the downstairs, sprawling and bathed in sunlight from tall windows, but it’s noticeably quieter—not just in terms of noise, but also in terms of sight. The displays up here are simple and understated, but no less beautiful. For this particular exhibit, the upstairs shows off the work of Connor Kelly, particularly his woodturning. Each piece is a 3D item made of charred brown wood. They take various shapes and forms; one is a tall cup similar to that of a pint of beer, and another resembles a large vase. They are delicate and imperfect, hosting cracks, holes, and uneven charring that is representative of the raging power of fire. The collection pairs incredibly well with the downstairs exhibit, contrasting the variety of vibrant, eye-catching colors with an array of soft browns charred in black. Simpler, yes. But no less impactful.

Fire, like all natural elements, can be both a force of destruction and creation, and the Center’s exhibition shows that off with beautiful clarity. Given the chance to visit, you’ll leave with a greater understanding of this mysterious element than when you entered. The exhibition runs till March 28, but rest assured, it will be replaced with a new, equally thrilling display come April 14th.

From the Archives: Derek Sheffield

Winter 1999

NOT QUITE THIRTEEN EXCUSES OF A PLAGIARIST


—after David Jones (a.k.a. David Sumner, etc.)
plagiarized an elegy Neal Bowers wrote for his father
—after wondering what Jones would possibly say
to explain himself
—with apologies to Wallace Stevens


I
After I read your poem,
those two white cups floated
out of the first stanza
and followed me everywhere.
Like sheets of paper,
they said, Fill me,
they said, One
is like the other.


II
Will it make you feel better
if I change my name
to Neal Bowers?


Ill
Your poem happened to be
underneath my paper
which happened to be
tracing paper, and the lamp
shone brighter, some kind of surge.
This is what I mean by
an accident of process.

IV
You’re not the only one
who had a father.


V
It was summer,
and I was lying on my back
looking for cloudy omens
when a plane
looped your poem in smoke.
I swear it.


VI
Listen, my parrot mimics
everything she hears, the rush
of traffic on the freeway
is the ocean, all houses
on my street are the same house,
I always ordered after
my cousin so the waitress
would bring two strawberry waffles
with whipped cream, solar panels
are leaves, and all sparrows fly
the same series of dips
and rises, and anyway,
they got the idea from waves.

VII
Your elegy touches me
like no other, so lovely,
and so, I wanted more
people to read it.


VIII
You’re not the only poet
I like.

IX
I opened my mail
one afternoon and a chain letter
demanded I steal your poem
or all living things
would die. And this
is how you thank me.


X
If you sit a monkey at a keyboard,
they say, eventually
Shakespeare will appear—
I got Bowers.

TIME CAPSULE


We introduced ourselves to the ground,
faces slapped and glazed
into impossible grins, we tangled letters
into words and left our hands


in a rip of sky.
Walking this playground now, I see
how we gathered around the fresh hole, here
where swings hang slack as headstones.


Did I say we? My hands?
They were his, that boy underneath
this dirt, this winter. I hold him
the way he held a marble


in sunlight, fingering the cold glass,
a swirl of green looking back—
the moment he stood here with the others
around the future, listening
to the shovels.

From the Community: Baeli Kinsley

Hi there! My name is Baeli Kinsley, and I am a senior at LC State, majoring in Graphic Communications and Applied Science. This is my fifth semester serving as an intern, and my 4th semester serving as the graphic designer and layout specialist for TRR. 

I was asked to serve as the layout specialist for TRR upon the graduation of our previous layout specialist. I was a little nervous but very excited because I got to show my skills and work with some of my favorite platforms to create the journal! On top of being the layout specialist, I am also part of the TRR newsletter team, alongside Amy Hallman, Kinsey Cook, and Lanessa Watkins. 

I am also very active on campus as I serve as the Warrior Entertainment Board Chair and help to bring fun and exciting events to campus for all of the student body to enjoy! Outside of campus, I am an Intern for Clarkston EPIC, a youth substance use prevention nonprofit, where I get to work with a youth coalition in the Clarkston High School and help to provide them with opportunities and resources to live healthy and substance-free lives for the betterment of our community! On Wednesday nights and Saturday nights, you can also find me at Hops and Vine on Main Street, Lewiston, hosting Trivia Nights, Music Bingo, and Karaoke!

I spend the majority of my free time with my cat, Gene, and my boyfriend, Robert, who have both been my biggest inspirations and supporters through my busy schedule and many aspirations. I could not have made it through my time at LC without them and their endless support!

I’m getting ready to graduate in May, which is very exciting, but I will miss my time serving on campus, and I will especially miss working with the TRR team. I am forever grateful for all of the wonderful experiences and opportunities I have been given, and I am especially grateful to Jennifer Anderson, our TRR advisor, for all of the hard work that she puts into all of her programs and the many opportunities she has provided me with. My time at LC would not have been the same without her!

Thank you, Talking River Review!