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Aaron Parrett is an American musician, author, letterpress printer, and educator. He is currently Professor of English Literature at the University of Providence in Great Falls, Montana.[1] A considerable portion of his academic and written work deals with the genre of science fiction or about the state of Montana.
Aaron Parrett | |
|---|---|
| Born | Butte, Montana, U.S. |
| Other names | Aaron C. Parrett |
| Alma mater | University of Georgia |
| Occupation(s) | professor, author, letterpress printer, musician |
| Known for | Montana: Then and Now, Literary Butte, and Montana Americana Music |
Biography
editBorn in Butte, Montana,[1] he earned a PhD in Comparative Literature in 2001 from the University of Georgia.
His first academic book, The Translunar Narrative in the Western Tradition (Ashgate, 2004)[2] examined the dream of traveling to the Moon in literature, culminating in the Apollo Program of the 1960s and early 1970s that achieved the millennia-long vision of leaving Earth. A considerable portion of his academic work deals with the genre of science fiction. His other works have focused on his home state of Montana, including Montana: Then and Now (Bangtail, 2014),[3] Literary Butte (History Press, 2015)[4] and Montana Americana Music (Arcadia, 2016), for which prize-winning author Smith Henderson wrote the foreword.[5] He won the Montana Historical Society's Peoples' Choice Award for his essay, "Montana's Worst Natural Disaster," about the devastating 1964 flood that killed 30 Native American Indians on the Blackfeet Reservation.[6]
As a result of his Montana writings, he has been featured on many radio programs and was a featured guest on Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown television segment on Butte.[7] He serves as president of the Drumlummon Institute,[8] a non-profit whose mission is "to promote and publish art and literatures created in Montana and the broader American West."
Parrett is also a songwriter and composer. His first album of original songs, The Sinners (Pizzle Records, 1996) earned critical acclaim (rereleased in 2015), yielding the song "Texas," a song recorded by several artists, including the southern Americana band Stewart and Winfield.[9] His songs have been featured in several Emmy-nominated documentary films, including Libby, Montana (High Plains Films, 2007) and The Naturalist (2004). A lyric from his song "El Cuchillo" is referenced in leading Steinbeck scholar Bob DeMott's Afield: American Writers on Bird Dogs (2014).[10] His most recent recording was a joint effort with IBMA songwriter of the year, Ivan Rosenberg, called Stumbo Lost Wages (Pizzle Records, 2009).
He is also co-founder of The Territorial Press, along with master letterpress printer and book artist, Peter Rutledge Koch.[11][12][13] The catalogue of The Territorial Press includes Himself Adrift (2016) by Matt Pavelich, Curses (2015) by Aaron Parrett, and Maple and Lead (2017) by Aaron Parrett, featuring wood-engraved illustrations by artist Seth Taylor Roby.
References
edit- ^ a b "Aaron Parrett Shares Writings and Presses His Own Books". The University of Montana Western. 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-12-25. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ Fayter, Paul (2004). "Book Review, The Translunar Narrative in the Western Tradition". Isis. 96: 421–422. doi:10.1086/498761.
- ^ "Montana: Then and Now". Bangtail Press. Archived from the original on 2014-11-10.
- ^ Newman, Chérie (2015-04-22). "Literary Butte: A History In Novels & Film". Montana Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2021-07-31. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ Newman, Chérie (August 7, 2016). "Montana Americana Music: Boot Stomping In Big Sky Country". Montana Public Radio. Archived from the original on 2016-08-08.
- ^ "Montana's Worst Natural Disaster" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
- ^ "Anthony Bourdain Appearance". billingsgazette.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25.
- ^ Nixon, Lance. "Mining Montana culture & history: The Drumlummon Institute rolls up its sleeves". missoulian.com. Archived from the original on 2021-07-31. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ Lincoln, Marga (June 2018). "Helena writer Aaron Parrett — a man of many talents — to speak at library". Helena Independent Record. Archived from the original on 2021-07-31. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ Demott, Robert; Smith, Dave (2014-11-11). Afield: American Writers on Bird Dogs. ISBN 9781629148533.
- ^ Lincoln, Marga (January 3, 2016). "Aaron Parrett's Territorial Press: Resurrecting the book arts one letter at a time". Independent Record. Archived from the original on 2016-01-05.
- ^ "Hidden Gems:Aaron Parrett's Territorial Press". Visit Helena, Montana. 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
- ^ "Photos: The Territorial Press of Montana". Montana Standard. Retrieved 2021-07-31.