(Graphics courtesy of Roundabout Books)

On November 3, a panel discussion of decorated women Air Force officers will discuss their experiences as described in Necessary Turbulence: Fifty Years, One Unbreakable Sisterhood Forged in the Crucible of the Air Force Academy. On November 10, Eugene author and artist Emily Poole will discuss her new book, Cascade of Life: An Artist’s Seasonal Guide to the Wild Northwest. On November 12, sportswriter Brendan O’Meara will discuss The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine.

November 3: Roundabout Books is pleased to host a panel discussion of decorated women Air Force officers to discuss their experiences as described in Necessary Turbulence: Fifty Years, One Unbreakable Sisterhood Forged in the Crucible of the Air Force Academy, on November 3 at 6:30pm in the store.

Necessary Turbulence is a collective narrative of women who came of age inside systems that were not built for them and learned, in real time, how to live, lead, and redefine themselves anyway. In 1976, 157 young women marched beneath the words “Bring Me Men” at the top of a ramp leading into a world that had never imagined them. They, and the more than 12,000 who followed, faced a contentious culture, inadequate facilities, and a system designed to break them. Told they were destroying standards and would never graduate, more than 7,000 women proved them wrong.

Drawn from 108 voices across five decades, this narrative traces what it meant to begin without a roadmap: to enter environments where expectations were unclear, belonging was not guaranteed, and the cost of getting it wrong was high. It chronicles women learning to navigate pressure, claim authority, and build lives of consequence.

Panelists:

The speakers are all graduates from the U.S. Air Force Academy, classes 1991–2006, who have served their country as doctors, professors, and pilots. They are now local leaders in medicine, consultancy, higher education, commercial aviation, and nonprofit work, as well as passionate volunteers deeply invested in our Central Oregon community. This event offers attendees a chance to learn, connect, and hear about their unique experiences stemming from a shared sisterhood.

• Lt Col Carlene Perry, USAF (Retired)
• LtCol Torree McGowan, USAF Medical Corps (Retired)
• Lt Col Lisa (Jorgensen) Christensen, USAF (Retired)
• Captain Kristin (Hamlett) Berg, USAF

Tickets are $5 or the purchase of Necessary Turbulence. Books can be purchased through the Roundabout Books website here, via telephone at 541-306-6564, or in the store.

November 10: Roundabout Books is excited to host Eugene author and artist Emily Poole to discuss her new book, Cascade of Life: An Artist’s Seasonal Guide to the Wild Northwest at an in-store event on November 10 at 6:30pm.

Cascade of Life is a visual and emotive tour of the Pacific Northwest through Poole’s lens. The book takes readers through the seasons in four different biomes—the coast, lowlands, mountains, and drylands introducing more than 120 species of flora and fauna with 16 hands-on activities for readers to consider that engage in foraging, crafting, and stewardship. It’s beautiful, thoughtful, and expands upon what it means to be a part of the Pacific Northwest Ecosystem.

Cascade of Life invites readers to step beyond the typical field guide and into a deeper dialogue with the natural world. Emily Poole explores the wondrous variety of the Pacific Northwest, spotlighting species that are especially active at different times of year. Original illustrations and essays feature popular species like gray whales and Anna’s hummingbirds, as well as overlooked or misunderstood plants and animals, such as pickleweed and coyotes.

Blending stunningly vivid paintings with personal anecdotes and field-based insights, each chapter encourages the reader’s curiosity to deepen their connection with nature. Part field guide, part journal, Cascade of Life is a welcoming, inspiring exploration of Cascadia’s landscapes and the species that define them.  The accompanying journal, The Nature Notebook, releases on October 1.

Acclaimed artist Emily Poole has been exploring the wild spaces of the western United States since childhood. Her work has been used by organizations such as Creature Conserve, HawkWatch International, and the National Museum of Wildlife Art and has appeared regularly in High Country News. Her illustrations have been featured in six natural history books, including BirdNote, Northwest Know-How: Trees, and A Little Book of Hummingbirds. She lives in Eugene, Oregon. Find her online at epooleart.com.

Tickets are $5 or the purchase of Cascade of Life. Books and tickets can be purchased through the Roundabout Books website here, via telephone at 541-306-6564, or in the store.

November 12: Roundabout Books is pleased to host Brendan O’Meara, sportswriter and author of Six Weeks in Saratoga, to discuss The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine at an in-store event on November 12 at 6:30pm. He will be in conversation with Lauren Fleshman, decorated distance runner and author of Good for a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man’s World.

In the fifty years since his tragic death in a car crash, Steve Prefontaine has towered over American distance running. One of the most recognizable and charismatic figures to ever run competitively in the United States, Prefontaine has endured as a source of inspiration and fascination—a talent who presaged the American running boom of the late 1970s and helped put Nike on the map as the brand’s first celebrity-athlete face.

Now on the anniversary of his untimely death, Brendan O’Meara, offers a fresh, definitive retelling of Prefontaine’s life, revisiting one of the most enigmatic figures in American sports with a twenty-first-century lens. Through over a hundred and fifty original interviews with family, friends, teammates, and competitors, this long-overdue reappraisal of Prefontaine—the first such exhaustive treatment in almost thirty years—provides never-before-told stories about the unique talent, innovative mental strength, and personal struggles that shaped Prefontaine on and off the track. Bringing new depth to an athlete long eclipsed by his brash, aggressive running style and the heartbreak of his death at twenty-four, O’Meara finds the man inside the myth, scrutinizing a legacy that has shaped American sports culture for decades.

What emerges is a singular portrait of a distinctly American talent, a story written in the pines and firs of the Pacific Northwest back when running was more blue-collar love than corporate pursuit—the story of a runner whose short life casts a long, fast shadow.

Brendan O’Meara is the founder and host of the Creative Nonfiction podcast. As a sportswriter, he’s covered a wide swath of events including the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes, as well as several local and professional sports for Trail Runner Magazine, Bleacher Report and the Associated Press. His essays and craft pieces have appeared in Writer’s Digest, Brevity, Creative Nonfiction Magazine, and Longreads. He lives in Oregon.

Lauren Fleshman is one of the most decorated American distance runners of all time, having won five NCAA championships at Stanford University and two national championships as a professional. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and Runner’s World. She is the brand strategy advisor for Oiselle, a fitness apparel company for women, and the cofounder of Picky Bars, a natural food company. She lives in Bend, Oregon.

Tickets are $5 or the purchase of The Front Runner. Books can be purchased through the Roundabout Books website here, via telephone at 541-306-6564, or in the store.