Sam Olson was raised in Portland, Oregon — with Northwest Montana roots. The creek he grew up on — among the myriad rivers that inhabit this book — has been stewarded since time immemorial by the Clackamas and Kalapuya peoples. Many of these poems were written in the occupied homelands of the Salish, Pend d’Oreille, Blackfeet, and Kootenai peoples. His poetry is spare and personal, based in place and experience. Sam lives in Missoula and teaches creative writing in Montana’s elementary schools and juvenile detention centers.