During this program, Alan Kesselheim, author of Let Them Paddle: Coming of Age on the Water, reads from the book and talks about the three coming-of-age river trips he and his wife, Marypat, took with their three children.

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When paddlers Alan S. Kesselheim and his wife were starting their family, each of their three kids unintentionally experienced, before birth, a major river expedition. Later, Eli, Sawyer, and Ruby grew up on other river trips, joining the Kesselheims in canoes as infants and toddlers and becoming adept paddlers and campers before the age of ten. Recognizing a unique opportunity to celebrate their childrens' transitions to adulthood, the family returned to those "birth" rivers and repeated each of the three original paddling trips. Over a period of four years, as each child reached the age of thirteen, and across a span of geography from the Arctic Circle to Mexico, the family of five shared inspirational travel adventures on the water. A moving testimonial for allowing children to experience nature firsthand, Let Them Paddle is a captivating tale of a family coming of age.

Alan S. Kesselheim has worked as a freelance writer for thirty years. He is the author of ten books and hundreds of magazine articles in a handful of publications, including Canoe & Kayak Magazine. In addition to his writing work, Kesselheim has taught writing workshops throughout North America and teaches occasional classes at Montana State University. He is best known for his exploits as a wilderness adventurer and canoeist and is a veteran of many extended expeditions, including two year-long canoe journeys across Canada. Kesselheim has incorporated his three children into his wilderness adventure lifestyle and has every expectation that they will carry on the tradition. He lives in Bozeman, Montana, with his wife and children.

You'll find Let Them Paddle: Coming of Age on the Water and other books by Alan Kesselheim at Fact & Fiction in Missoula or at your local independent bookseller.

The Write Question is produced by Chérie Newman.

Read an interview with TWQ producer Chérie Newman on the Humanities Montana Web site.

Executive producer, Michael Marsolek.

Special thanks to Lisa Simon, David Moore, Barbara Theroux, and Kim Anderson.

This program is supported in part by Humanities Montana, connecting kids to community, supporting vital cultural institutions, and encouraging community conversations. And by Montana's Cultural Trust, Fact & Fiction book stores, and Public Radio Listeners.

The Write Question: a program that explores the world of writing and publishing in the western United States.

The music in this program was written and performed by John Floridis.

Send comments to Chérie Newman.

Guests on the The Write Question are writers, publishers, and illustrators living, or working for an extended period of time, in the western United States. The Write Question is a production of Montana Public Radio.