Aaron Strain
Professor and Chair of Politics at Whitman College
White Clouds Preserve, ID
September 21, 2024
“There’s been two times in my life when I thought writing would literally kill me.” Aaron Strain expressed in our circle of camp chairs on his first day integrating into our free-spirited community. He told us of death threats and the physical health crises he had experienced as byproducts of dedicating one's life to the satisfying affliction of articulating the world. He would come to spend nine days teaching a writing workshop for the 21 Westies at White Clouds Preserve in Custer County, Idaho.
Aaron Strain, an accomplished academic, is a professor at Whitman College with a M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University and a Ph.D in Geography from University California, Berkeley. He is the award-winning author of The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story, along with two other books.
Peering through the circular frames of his glasses, Aaron swept the room, assessing the group’s level of engagement. He wrote bullet points on a pad of sheet paper, letters tilted in the typical manner of a lefty, as the group took notes on how to take better notes. Every lesson developed interviewing skills and fostered excitement for projects in narrative nonfiction. He called the group to examine their personal ethics around story-telling and the importance of painting every person with the complexity we all possess. Each day Aaron embraced our chaotic culture with patience and an intrigued smile. Sharing meals, memories, and games beneath the stunning landscape of the wildlife preserve, learning was holistic and inspiring.
by Kiana Potter