Speaking

Speaking

Peter Heller (credit: John Burcham)
Peter Heller (credit: John Burcham)

“Peter Heller is a profound, humorous, and enormously entertaining public speaker who has held our audiences at the National Writers Series, ages 20 to 70’s, spell-bound. Peter stands and holds the room captive with his voice and skill as an oral storyteller. At the National Writers Series, the room paused when he paused, hanging on a next word. It was quite incredible. On the page, he’s more than amazing in his language; in the room, he’s just as amazing. He appeals to broad and varied interests— teachers, readers, book club members, adventurers, working people, high school and college students, and academics. In this, he’s a rare find, a storyteller with a jeweler’s eye for detail and the thrill-seeking heart of an adventurer. We’ve heard him offer expert guidance to fans of literary fiction studying the craft; he offers insights borne of hard-won experience to naturalists wanting engagement with the wild; and to anyone who’s facing the unknown, at home or outdoors— heartbreak, wet firewood, wet hiking boots, threats, despair, elation, uncertainty, success, unpaid bills, riches, the hunger for homecoming, the hunger for solitude, the hunger to express what it feels like to be alive right now, the hunger for connection with one another, Peter talks about finding resiliency and courage in the midst of this. His message is clear: our lives are our stories. Tell them. Tell your life. Listening to Peter Heller, you’re inspired to do just that." – National Writers Series, Traverse City, NI

Talks

  • The Careening, Wonderful Road From Nonfiction To Fiction
  • Sense Of Place In Fiction And Non-Fiction
  • The Poetry Of Place In Writing Fiction
  • How To Survive A Career As An Adventure Journalist
  • Welcome To The Sixth Great Mass Extinction, Now Have Fun!
  • Rivers, Mountains, And The Alchemy Of Storytelling: A Writer's Journey
  • Why We Go Into The Wild
  • A Writer’s Process: Technique, Method, And The Five Touchstones
  • A Talk And Reading On Each Novel: The Catalysts And The Process - Author Presentation

Peter Heller is the national best-selling author of The Last Ranger (August 2023), a vibrant, lyrical mystery set in Yellowstone National Park where a skirmish between a local hunter and a wolf biologist turns violent, and a park ranger, adrift in his own life, becomes obsessed with discovering the truth. His previous linked novels, The River and The Guide, follow the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip–a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence – and then returns to Jack in The Guide, who is hired by an elite fishing lodge in Colorado, where he uncovers a plot of shocking menace amid the natural beauty of sun-drenched streams and forests. Heller has also written the novels Celine, The Painter, and The Dog Stars. The Painter was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and won the prestigious Reading the West Book Award, shared in the past by Western writers such as Cormac McCarthy and Terry Tempest Williams, and The Dog Stars, which was published to critical acclaim and lauded as a breakout bestseller, has been published in twenty-six languages to date.

Heller is also the author of four nonfiction books, including Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave, which was awarded the National Outdoor Book Award for Literature, Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsango River, and The Whale Warriors: The Battle at the Bottom of the World to Save the Planet’s Largest Mammal. An award-winning adventure writer and a longtime contributor to NPR, Heller has been a contributing editor at Outside magazine, Men’s Journal, and National Geographic Adventure, and a regular contributor to Bloomberg Businessweek. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop in poetry and fiction.

Feedback

Slideshow Items

  • It was an absolute blast last week to be in the room at your author talk at the Boulder Bookstore and meet you afterwards. You delivered such terrific energy, laughter and insights! The assembled, standing-room-only audience was gripped by your presence – and radio and podcast listeners, I’m sure, will also hang on every word. Thank you for a special evening.”

    Chris Barge, Boulder Public Library 2023
  • Peter Heller is such a down to earth, funny and smart human being. He has such a way with words and is able to share the stories of his life and writing so beautifully, but not in a way that made any of us feel dumb. He was so generous with his time and so sociable with the patrons. He inscribed each book separately and took time to talk with everyone for as long as they wanted. He was a delight to have.”

    Jess Herzog, Spartanburg Public Libraries 2023
  • Peter Heller was easy going, approachable, flexible, and engaging. His presentations were relevant, whether to a small group of adults or a large audience of high schoolers. You could hear a pin drop when Heller talked to and held the attention of more than 600 students in our high school auditorium.”

    Highland Park Literary Festival, 2023
  • Peter Heller is a magnificent speaker who will hold an audience enraptured for an hour at a time. From his excellent reading voice, to larger than life anecdotes, Peter will make you laugh and cry and wish you had learned to kayak.”

    Colorado Library Association
  • Peter was a thoughtful and engaging presenter. He hooked our crowd from when he first sat down to read and had their full attention through the end of the talk. He truly is a masterful storyteller and weaves an explanation of his craft and process beautifully into his stories, both in and off the page.”

    Gunnison Library
  • Peter Heller is an engaging storyteller both on the page and in front of an audience. The stories and anecdotes he shared with our audience had them in stitches and wiping away the tears. Peter is a charming presenter and so kind to his fans. The audience was delighted by Peter’s program and we can’t wait to invite him back.”

    Bemis Public Library
  • Everyone in the room instantly was entranced when Peter Heller spoke at the Park Hill Branch of Denver Public Library. His love of language and storytelling shines through, and his gracious and easy-going style made the audience feel like they were in the presence of a friend. From reciting ancient Chinese poetry to reading a passage from The River, Peter gained attendees’ close attention and kept it for the entirety of the presentation. We can’t wait to host him again!”

    Denver Public Library
  • Peter Heller is a fantastic speaker. We brought him in for Beaver County BookFest and he totally charmed the crowd at our opening night event. Not only is he a great storyteller, but he also has a wonderful sense of humor that makes him all the more likable.”

    Beaver County BookFest
  • Peter Heller instantly endeared himself to our students. His natural, easygoing style of storytelling, his infectious giggle, and his willingness to treat these teenagers like adults fully won them over. Whether it was in front of 175 students and teachers in the theater or in the more intimate break out sessions in the library, Peter’s writing advice, captivating stories, and down-to-earth humor provided our community the opportunity to see writing not just as a career, but as a natural part of a thoughtful life.”

    Vail Mountain School
  • Peter Heller instantly endeared himself to our students. His natural, easygoing style of storytelling, his infectious giggle, and his willingness to treat these teenagers like adults fully won them over. Whether it was in front of 175 students and teachers in the theater or in the more intimate break out sessions in the library, Peter’s writing advice, captivating stories, and down-to-earth humor provided our community the opportunity to see writing not just as a career, but as a natural part of a thoughtful life.”

    Jackson Hole Writers Conference
  • Peter is a captivating storyteller, bringing to life not only the natural world he loves and the characters that pass through it, but also how they shape his journeys. His ability to transport an audience through time, through place, and through the eyes of one who has wandered this globe is compelling. He moves easily from the humor and self-deprecations of mishaps in the wild to the deep reservoirs of what it means to be a steward of our natural heritage.”

    National Forest Foundation
  • Our student body saw a writer who is gregarious, friendly, deeply sincere and thoughtful, but who also loves to have fun. I have had a blast getting to know Peter and his works, learning alongside my students and peers.”

    Kingswood Oxford School
  • Peter Heller is a masterful storyteller who never fails to amaze his audience. He has a way of engaging throughout his presentation with charm and wit. Real and down to earth Peter is a joy and we loved having him at the library.”

    Douglas County Libraries
  • From his books to his presentation, you are immediately taken to the great outdoors. Peter wowed the audience and kept them entertained, even in the book signing line. His energy was boundless!”

    Marion County Library

Honors, Awards & Recognition

NYT Best Seller

National Best Seller

Reading the West Book Award Winner