BY KAREN BOSSICK

Keith Catalano Wilson measures his life by the biological cycles of salmon, long-distance running and the tide that goes in and out.

He will share his journey of contemplative exploration in a virtual reading titled “A Road Out of Naknek.” The presentation will be offered via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19. To RSVP, email Kristin.fletcher@haileypubliclibrary.org

“Keith grew up in a small, remote salmon-fishing town along Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska,” said Kristin Fletcher, the Hailey Public Library’s programs and community engagement manager. “To help deal with a sense of isolation, he started running and, later, competed in long-distance races and lived a life of adventure. This book is a reflection on those experiences. And it’s a fascinating topic.”

After Wilson left Naknek, he moved from place to place, job to job and adventure to adventure. His journey took him through places like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Peru, Guatemala, Wisconsin, Kansas, Montana and Oregon, competing in long-distance races of up to a hundred miles as he went.

His book takes readers on a chronological order through different stages of life.

Wilson and his wife Mandy now live in Hailey where Wilson teaches and sells fish via Wilsons’ Wild Salmon. He returns to Naknek, Alaska, every summer to make a living as a commercial fisherman, just as the salmon have made their own annual summertime return for thousands of years.

An endurance athlete and cross-country coach, his work has been featured in “Mountain Running Magazine,” “Outdoor Idaho Magazine,” “Wanderlust Journal” and others.

Keith Catalano Wilson has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Northern Michigan University.