Harley Rustad
Harley Rustad is a Canadian journalist, magazine editor, and author of Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas and Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees.
Harley Rustad | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985 (age 40–41) |
| Website | https://www.harleyrustad.com |
Harley Rustad is a Canadian journalist, magazine editor, and author of Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas[1] and Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees.[2]
Early life
[edit]Rustad was born on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada, where he spent the first few months of his life in a tent while his parents built their home.[2] He lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Journalism career
[edit]Rustad has been an editor and writer at The Walrus, a Canadian general interest magazine, since 2014.[3] His writing has appeared in publications including Outside, The Walrus, The Globe and Mail, Geographical, The Guardian, and CNN. He is a faculty editor at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity's Mountain and Wilderness Writing Residency.[4] He was awarded Editor Grand Prix at the 2024 National Magazine Awards: "Harley Rustad's commitment to tackling in-depth investigations and features stands out. Rustad's contributions to The Walrus have reinforced its position as one of Canada's leading homes for thoughtful, impactful journalism."[5]
Big Lonely Doug
[edit]His first book, Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees,[2] a nonfiction book published in 2018 is about the second-largest Douglas fir in Canada that was a saved by a logger who wrapped green LEAVE TREE ribbon around its trunk, and the fight to protect old-growth forests in British Columbia. The tree, Big Lonely Doug, is growing in the middle of a clear cut near Port Renfrew, British Columbia. The book started as a magazine article in The Walrus.[6] The book was nominated for the 2018 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing,[7] the 2019 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize,[8] and the 2018 Banff Mountain Book Competition.[9]
Lost in the Valley of Death
[edit]His second book, Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas,[1][10] was published in 2022 and investigates the 2016 disappearance of Justin Alexander Shetler in the Parvati Valley, India. It was nominated for a 2022 Banff Mountain Book Award[11] and a Crime Writers of Canada Award,[12] was a Canadian bestseller,[13] and appeared on the cover of the February 13, 2022, New York Times Book Review.[1] Lost in the Valley of Death won two awards at the 2023 Poland Mountain Book Awards[14] and a 2023 US Religion News Association Award.[15]
Port Renfrew Writers Retreat
[edit]In 2019, Rustad founded the Port Renfrew Writers Retreat on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, a non-fiction writers retreat focused on nature writing.[16]
Awards and honours
[edit]- 2023 Mountain Literature Awards, Poland (winner non-fiction category and winner Grand Prix) for Lost in the Valley of Death, Polish translation[14]
- 2023 Religion News Association Award (winner) for Lost in the Valley of Death[17]
- 2023 Crime Writers of Canada Award (finalist) for Lost in the Valley of Death[12]
- 2022 Banff Mountain Book Award (finalist) for Lost in the Valley of Death[11]
- 2022 CBC Best Canadian Non-fiction Books of the Year for Lost in the Valley of Death[18]
- 2018 Globe and Mail Best Books of the Year for Big Lonely Doug[19]
- 2018 CBC Best Canadian Non-fiction Books of the Year for Big Lonely Doug[20]
- 2018 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing (finalist) for Big Lonely Doug[7]
- 2018 Banff Mountain Book Award (finalist) for Big Lonely Doug[21]
- 2019 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize (finalist) for Big Lonely Doug[8]
- 2016 National Magazine Award (silver) "Big Lonely Doug" published in The Walrus.[22]
- 2015 National Magazine Award (honourable mention) for "Where the Streets Have No Names" published in The Walrus[23]
Bibliography
[edit]- Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees. House of Anansi Press. 2018. ISBN 978-1487003111
- Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalayas. Harper. 2022. ISBN 978-0062965967
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Paterniti, Michael (January 21, 2022). "Seeking Enlightenment, He Disappeared Into a Hiker's Bermuda Triangle". New York Times.
- ^ a b c Lederman, Marsha (August 21, 2018). "Meet Doug: B.C.'s biggest celebri-tree". Globe and Mail.
- ^ Medley, Mark (May 19, 2017). "In wake of cultural appropriation debate, who will take helm of The Walrus?". Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Mountain and Wilderness Writing". www.banffcentre.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-02-14.
- ^ "And the Winners Are…". National Magazine Awards.
- ^ Rustad, Harley (September 19, 2016). "Big Lonely Doug". The Walrus.
- ^ a b "Books about masculinity, energy projects among Shaughnessy Cohen Prize finalists". Globe and Mail. April 3, 2019.
- ^ a b "BC Yukon Book Prizes Winners and Finalists". BC Yukon Book Prizes.
- ^ "Banff Mountain Book Competition Announces 2018 Finalists". Rock and Ice. September 10, 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23.
- ^ LOST IN THE VALLEY OF DEATH | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ a b "Banff Mountain Book Competition Categories Announced Climbing Book Lovers Take Note". Gripped.
- ^ a b "Crime Writers of Canada". Archived from the original on 2023-01-20.
- ^ "The bestselling Canadian books for the week of Feb. 6-12, 2022". CBC. February 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "Festiwal Literatury Górskiej". Festiwal Górskiej.
- ^ "2023 Religion News Association Awards".
- ^ O'Kane, Josh (January 25, 2025). "Author Harley Rustad launches new wilderness-focused writers' retreat". Globe and Mail.
- ^ "2023 Religion News Association Awards".
- ^ "The best Canadian nonfiction of 2022".
- ^ "The Globe 100: Our favourite books of 2018". Globe and Mail.
- ^ "The best Canadian nonfiction of 2018". CBC.
- ^ "Banff Mountain Book Competition Announces 2018 Finalists". Rock and Ice. September 10, 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-07-23.
- ^ "Announcing the winners of the 40th Anniversary National Magazine Awards". National Magazine Awards.
- ^ "The Walrus Awards". The Walrus.