Aaron Parrett

Aaron Parrett (born 1967) 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
Born1967 (age 55–56)
Butte, Montana, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesAaron C. Parrett
Alma materUniversity of Georgia
Occupation(s)professor, author, letterpress printer, musician
Known forMontana: Then and Now, Literary Butte, and Montana Americana Music

Biography

Born 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
  1. "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.
  2. Fayter, Paul (2004). "Book Review, The Translunar Narrative in the Western Tradition". Isis. 96: 421–422. doi:10.1086/498761.
  3. "Montana: Then and Now". Bangtail Press. Archived from the original on 2014-11-10.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. "Montana's Worst Natural Disaster" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
  7. "Anthony Bourdain Appearance". billingsgazette.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-25.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Demott, Robert; Smith, Dave (2014-11-11). Afield: American Writers on Bird Dogs. ISBN 9781629148533.
  11. 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.
  12. "Hidden Gems:Aaron Parrett's Territorial Press". Visit Helena, Montana. 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  13. "Photos: The Territorial Press of Montana". Montana Standard. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
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