Judge a tree by its fruit

Oakley Hall, one of the founders of the Squaw Valley Writers Conference passed away this week. His most famous book, Warlock, demystified the West, decades ahead of Annie Proulx, or even movies like Unforgiven.

Though he’s widely respected in literary circles, he’s not exactly a household name, but many of his students are. Writers like Michael Chabon, Richard Ford, Amy Tan and Alice Sebold––who’ve combined to sell 50,000,000 books, win the PEN/Faulkner Award, a Nebula Award, a Bram Stoker Award, and oh yeah, a pair of Pulitzers.

I met him when I attended Squaw in 2006 and he was incredibly cool, completely genuine and an all around fine man.

There's even a band named after him. How cool is that?

Comments

[Seth Fleisher]

Sad news about a good man and a great teacher. I think I'm heading back to Squaw this August. The conference will definitely feel different without him.

[jamie]

I think there's going to be some sort of memorial/tribute this year.

I'm going back in 09.

[Carleen]

Wow. Have to say I don't know of him either. Sounds like an amazing man!

[Maureen]

I'm going up for the memorial in August. I went to an event in Grass Valley last fall, Oakley Hall the Man, Oakley Hall the Band. He couldn't have remembered me from Squaw, but he was really nice to me all over again there too. The band rocked as well. Oakley was a good teacher, a kind man. I'm sorry he's gone.

[Jess]

Wow...not only does he sound immensely talented, but he looks like such a genuinely nice guy. Sorry to hear he's gone!