Hiking Naked: A Selected Bibliography

Knocked off her feet after twenty years in public health nursing, Iris Graville quit her job and convinced her husband and their thirteen-year-old twin son and daughter to move to Stehekin, a remote mountain village in Washington State’s North Cascades. They sought adventure; she yearned for the quiet and respite of this community of eighty-five residents accessible only by boat, float plane, or hiking. Hiking Naked chronicles Graville’s journey through questions about work and calling as well as how she coped with ordering groceries by mail, black bears outside her kitchen window, a forest fire that threatened the valley, and a flood that left her and her family stranded for three days. Iris Graville will discuss Hiking Naked—A Quaker Woman’s Search for Balance on 09/19, 6pm, at the Co-op. She will be joined in conversation by Theodore Richards.

The Reinvention of Work, by Matthew Fox - This book helped me think about work in different ways, particularly the spiritual aspect of work. It was a supportive companion while I lived in Stehekin and influenced my first book, Hands at Work.

Care of the Soul, by Thomas Moore - Care of the Soul comforted me when I felt the greatest despair about no longer feeling called to nursing.

Walden, by Henry David Thoreau - Walden was an inspiration for a simple lifestyle and experiencing the power and beauty of nature.

Wild, by Cheryl Strayed - A memoir that grapples with a number of issues that I struggled with (and still do) set in a mountain landscape. It also offered fine writing craft to learn from.

Potluck: Community on the Edge of Wilderness, by Ana Maria Spagna - Potluck was written by my friend and mentor who is an exceptional essayist. The setting in Stehekin makes this a terrific accompaniment to Hiking Naked.

Hunting for Hope, by Scott Russell Sanders - Sanders is another exceptional essayist who wrestles with the “ordinary” in life.

The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron - I reference this book numerous times in my memoir. It was a valuable tool and companion as I sought to nurture my creativity and develop a writing practice.

Stehekin: A Valley in Time, by Grant McConnell - This is the first memoir I read of Stehekin, written by the man who owned the house next door to the one we rented there.

Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg - My first writing “textbook” that helped me start writing in manageable bites.

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott - Gave me permission to write “shitty first drafts” and instilled my love of revision.

About Iris Graville: Iris Graville is the author of three nonfiction books: Hands at Work, Bounty, and a memoir, Hiking Naked. She lives on Lopez Island, WA where she publishes SHARK Reef Literary Magazine and contributes regularly to The Wayfarer Magazine.  As a writer, Graville strives to give voice to the untold stories of ordinary people. She had her first taste of the thrill of tell their stories for her high school newspaper in a small town in southern Illinois. Years later, as a nurse in Indiana and Washington, she listened in hospital rooms, exam rooms, and homes and experienced an uncommon intimacy as people shared their fears, hopes, grief, and pain. Her profiles and personal essays have been published in national and regional journals and magazines. Graville’s memoir, Hiking Naked—A Quaker Woman’s Search for Balance, (Homebound Publications, 2017) is a personal narrative of what she learned in the remote mountain village of Stehekin, WA about work, community, and leadings of the Spirit. Now, you’ll often find her on the interisland ferry, working on a new essay collection.