How A Wildland Fire Became A Story Of Survival And Community

About this episode

The episode discusses the story of firefighter Dan Stephenson and the community's response to wildland fires, featuring insights from author A.J. Otten.

Send us fan mail. We love to hear from you! A wall of fire doesn’t just burn trees, it burns through every assumption you had about safety, preparation, and what the human body can endure. I’m joined by 2023 Library of Congress award-winning author A.J. Otten to talk about Burned Over, her narrative nonfiction book about Montana firefighter Dan Stephenson and the Red Lodge community that refuses to let him be “just another tragedy.” We get into the wildland firefighting realities behind the ...

People in this episode

Host: Nichol Ellis-McGregor

Guest: A.J. Otten

Topics covered

• wildland firefighting
• survival
• community resilience
• narrative nonfiction
• personal stories
• safety and preparation

Keywords

• wildland fire
• survival
• community
• firefighter
• narrative nonfiction
• safety
• preparation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Library of Congress

Places: Montana, Red Lodge

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