‘Whitefish Review’ hosts author of ‘A Woman Among Wolves’

“Whitefish Review” will host author Diane Boyd Nov. 2 to read and discuss her debut memoir, “A Woman Among Wolves: My Journey Through Forty Years of Wolf Recovery.” 

Boyd is one of the first women in the United States to study wild wolves in their natural habitat. 

Called the Jane Goodall of wolves, the wildlife biologist has spent four decades studying and advocating for wolves in the wilds of Montana near Glacier National Park. When she started in the 1970s, she was the only female biologist researching and radio-collaring wild wolves in the U.S. With her two dogs for company, she faced the rigors of the Montana winter in an isolated cabin without running water or electricity. 

Boyd forded icy rivers, strapped on skis to navigate thick stands of lodgepole pine and monitored packs from the air in a tiny bush plane that skimmed the treetops so she could count wolves and see what they were feeding on. She faced down grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolverines — and the occasional trapper — as she stalked her quarry: a handful of wolves making their way south from Canada into Montana. Resilient and resourceful, she devised her own trapping methods and negotiated with locals as wolf populations grew from the first natural colonizer to more than 3,000 wolves in the West today. 

“This is a book about a courageous woman,” Jane Goodall wrote in a review. “Often alone in wild country, she endures hardships and faces danger in many forms … It is a book I highly recommend: informative, fascinating, and beautifully written.” 

From the early days of wolf research to the present-day challenges of wolf management across the globe, Boyd takes the reader on a wild ride, highlighting her interactions with an apex predator that captured her heart and her undying admiration. Her writing resonates with her indomitable spirit as she explores the intricate balance of human and wolf coexistence. 

Boyd holds a doctorate in wildlife biology from the University of Montana. She divides her time between her home in Kalispell and her cabin in the North Fork. She is the author of numerous scientific papers on wolves. 

The event will be held at The Second Story, 101 Central in Whitefish. Doors open at 6:30 pm with live music from 7 to 8 p.m. with David Noftsinger. Readings and discussions begin at 8 p.m. and include special guests Douglas Chadwick, Jim Williams and Michael Jamison, who will pose questions to the author. An audience Q&A will conclude the event. The evening is supported by Greystone Books and will be live streamed on Whitefish Review’s YouTube page. 

“Whitefish Review” is a nonprofit literary journal that explores the landscapes of the human condition, our connection to the natural world, and illuminates the confluence of art, storytelling, society, and science.  

For more information, visit www.whitefishreview.org.