Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Resurrecting the Shark
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1954
WEBSITE: http://www.susanewing.com/
CITY: Bozeman
STATE: MT
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
SKETCHWRITER NOTE: Upgraded from B to A
PERSONAL
Born 1954, in Louisville, KY.
EDUCATION:University of Alaska-Fairbanks, B.A. (with honors).
ADDRESS
CAREER
Freelance writer, 1991-. Off the Beaten Path (adventure travel company), Bozeman, MT, marketing writer, 2003-; Montana State University, communications director for defense projects at TechLink Center, 2015-. Former volunteer board member for BridgerCare and Wild Things Unlimited.
AVOCATIONS:Mountain hiking.
MEMBER:National Association of Science Writers.
AWARDS:Parent Council Award, outstanding from a learning perspective, 1996, for Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears.
WRITINGS
Work represented in anthologies, including Solo: On Her Own Adventure, Seal Press, 1996; Alaska Passages, Sasquatch Books, 1996; American Nature Writing: 1997, Sierra Club Books, 1997; A Road of Her Own, Fulcrum Books, 2002; and Heart Shots, Stackpole Books, 2003. Contributor of articles, essays, and short stories to magazines, including Big Sky Journal, Bugle: Journal of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Cowboys and Indians, Fly Rod & Reel, Montana Quarterly, Pacific Standard, Salon, Sports Afield, and Whitefish Review.
SIDELIGHTS
Susan Ewing was born and raised in Kentucky. She attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and lived in the state for several years. Ewing worked as a cook in the oil fields of the far north and in the commercial salmon fishing industry. She staked mining claims for a geophysical company, among other more mundane occupations. When she landed a job as a wildlife information officer, Ewing discovered the joy of writing. Her love of nature and the outdoors had been part of her life since childhood.
Nature Writing
Ewing moved to Montana in 1991. That is where she wrote her first book, Going Wild in Washington and Oregon: Seasonal Excursions to Wildlife and Habitats. The guide to accessible wildlife areas across the Pacific Northwest contains twenty field trips, arranged season by season for maximum viewing pleasure. Ewing invites springtime visitors to observe shore birds and baby harbor seals by the water or to travel inland where mustangs roam free. Summer is the best season for bats and butterflies, while autumn is ideal for watching the elk at Olympic National Park or observing king salmon at Bonneville Dam. Winter is the season of the snow goose and the whale.
Other nature guides would follow. Ewing’s fact books for Alaska and the Rocky Mountains describe hundreds of mammals and birds and thousands of plant species. She offers overviews of geology, geography, and natural features from Alaska to Colorado. The volumes are illustrated with line drawings and augmented by lists of fun facts and trivia. A few years after the publication of her Rocky Mountain nature guide, Ewing landed a job as a marketing writer for Off the Beaten Path, an adventure travel company located in Bozeman, Montana.
Children's Books
In the interludes between nature guides, Ewing occupied herself with children’s books. Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears: And Other Alaskan Animals contains fifteen poems for the preteen set. Humor and whimsy are the vehicles for facts about critters of the North Country as diverse as caribou and walrus, frog and wolf, bear and octopus. Grammar sometimes takes a backseat to rhyme, but critics found the facts to be solid and entertaining and suited to a child’s sense of humor. A Publishers Weekly commentator hinted that “readers will probably remember these animals long after this book is read.”
Ten Rowdy Ravens is a read-aloud counting book for preschoolers. Each short verse is devoted to the things that ravens love to do: play, exercise their curiosity, steal from garbage cans, loop and swirl and chase one another with wild abandon. The volume ends with the “Daily Kaw,” a fanciful tabloid of true stories about ravens presented in newspaper format, right down to the fictional classified ads and a “Kaw Kalendar” of upcoming entertainments.
Resurrecting the Shark
Ewing’s next project led her into territory both new and old, and it caught her by surprise. She had heard of the mysterious prehistoric shark known as Helicoprion for years, but to her “it was just one weird beast in a crowd of weird beasts,” she told Susan J. Tweit in an interview published by Story Circle Book Reviews. “That changed,” Ewing said, when she attended an exhibit on whorl-toothed sharks in Idaho in 2013. When she actually saw the fossils and reconstructions and artists’ renderings of tooth assemblies shaped like the serrated blade of a circular saw and then listened to stories of the century-long quest to solve the puzzle of that improbable tooth, she was captivated—by the shark, of course, but also by the quest itself. Four years later she published Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-Million-Year-Old Fossil.
The fossil had confounded scientists for decades. The shark left no other clues for paleontologists, because the soft cartilage of the skeleton dissolved before it could leave a trace in the fossil record. Early investigators wondered if the fossil was a fin or an external snout-mounted weapon. When the serrations surrounding the circular plate were determined to be teeth, scientists debated how the plate could have fit into the jaw. Artists were invited to render drawings of potential placements, but they had no jawbones for reference. Finally, in 2013 the multidisciplinary Team Helico determined that the plate represented a single tooth assembly that stood upright in a type of trough or trench that ran from front to back within the narrow, elongated lower jaw. The plate contained all of the teeth in a single spiral, or whorl, with new teeth forcing older, smaller teeth to rotate into an inward spiral that could contain as many as 150 teeth over the shark’s lifetime. The discovery enabled scientists, for the first time, to piece together a history and biology of the elusive Helicoprion. The largest fossil measured approximately twenty-four inches in length, which suggested a mighty predator of forty feet or more in length. The shark lived in the early Permian, nearly 300 million years ago. Fossils have been found in present-day North America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Australia, where the largest specimen (to date) was found.
Ewing (and various reviewers) found the science behind the discovery to be daunting, but she (and they) also realized the story behind it was fascinating and worth the effort. She writes of Russian geologist Alexander Karpinsky, who gave the shark its name in 1899; of her friend, artist Ray Troll, who invited her to the Idaho exhibit that inspired her book; and a host of other unique individuals who contributed to the success of Team Helico, “from historical figures to modern players,” she told Tweit. “Each one of them was driven by intellectual curiosity and passion,” regardless of their specialty or their role in the journey of discovery. Tweit complimented her for the “ability to bring alive the human characters involved in the tale, their personalities and the era they worked in.” She added: “Your imagery is particularly vivid and often humorous.” “The details of shark anatomy can feel overwhelming,” observed a Publishers Weekly contributor, “but Ewing brings to life the personalities.” A Kirkus Reviews commentator credited Ewing for “a carefully annotated scientific detective story.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2017, review of Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-Million-Year-Old Fossil.
Library Journal, April 15, 1999, Nancy J. Moeckel, review of Shadow Cat: Encountering the American Mountain Lion, p. 141; February 15, 2017, Robert Eagan, review of Resurrecting the Shark, p. 108.
Publishers Weekly, September 23, 1996, review of Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears, p. 77; February 8, 1999, review of Shadow Cat, p. 201; February 13, 2017, review of Resurrecting the Shark, p. 66.
School Library Journal, January, 2006, Linda L. Walkins, review of Ten Rowdy Ravens, p. 118.
ONLINE
Story Circle Book Reviews, http://www.storycirclebookreviews.org/ (May 29, 2017), Susan J. Tweit, author interview.
Susan Ewing Website, http://www.susanewing.com (October 26, 2017).
About Susan
I have loved the quirky side of nature from the day I discovered doodlebugs as a little girl in my Kentucky front yard. Years and miles later, when I came across the story of the prehistoric buzz-saw shark Helicoprion, I was captivated by its weirdness, dazzled by its extraordinary evolutionary experiment, and smitten by the stories of all the people who helped puzzle out its paleontology. Succumbing to the lure of an unusual tale waiting to be told, I bit. For this shark story, you don’t even have to go near the water.
As for my personal prehistoric timeline—in between stints working and exploring I graduated from the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and after living in Alaska for a dozen or so years, moved to Montana in 1991. I like nothing better than to sneak away from my desk to watch the seasons come and go on the trails and rivers with my husband and dog.
Awards
Parent Council Award for Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears, “Outstanding from a Learning Perspective,” 1996.
Honorable mention, New Millennium Writings Competition, short-short fiction category, 2011
Runner-up, Reynolds Price Short Fiction Award; Shannon Ravenel, judge, 2003.
Added by Sketchwriter:
From Susanewing.com
Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-Million-Year-Old Fossil
FROM THE INTRODUCTION:
When I drove down to Pocatello in June 2013 to attend the opening of “The Whorl-toothed Sharks of Idaho” exhibit at the Idaho Museum of Natural History, I expected to see illustrations and fossils of the bizarre extinct shark, Helicoprion. I never suspected the beast would seize my imagination and shake until my brain rattled.
Truth be told, I didn’t go to Pocatello for the shark. I went because I hadn’t seen my artist friend Ray Troll in a long time and he was throwing one of his famous after-parties to celebrate the exhibit, which featured his artwork. There in the exhibit hall, surrounded by astonishing fossils, life-sized Helicoprion models, and Troll’s beguiling art, I started asking questions. As Ray had obsessed for more than twenty years about what the shark looked like, I began to obsess on the story—all those chance discoveries, unexpected connections, absorbing sidelights, and compelling science factoids. Walking through the exhibit I met Jesse Pruitt, a tattooed combat veteran and undergraduate student, and his advisor-turned-colleague, then-research curator Leif Tapanila. I was taken by their backstories, as well as those of the other “Team Helico” members who had just published their breakthrough findings on Helicoprion.
The more I looked, the more I began to see the Chinese knot of lives (animal and human, past and present), feel the undertow of deep time, and more fully appreciate the way the earth is in a constant state of change, with species rising, thriving, and disappearing. . .
Interviews
Scientific American Science Talk podcast
Host Steve Mirsky and Susan explore the weird world of Helicoprion in, "The Shark That Conquered the Whorl"
Animal Instincts - Heritage Radio Network
Host Celia Kutcher and Susan talk about writing the book, extinction, and of course Helicoprion
Story Circle Book Reviews
A fun and wide-ranging print interview by author Susan Tweit
Reviews
"Ewing blows the dust off dry scientific reportage with her lively style and wit. Her book should have broad appeal to a wide range of readers—sharks, of course, are a cultural phenomenon, and paleo sharks only double the fun." —Robert Eagan, Library Journal
“Long before nature writer Susan Ewing mentions Indiana Jones in Resurrecting the Shark, readers are ensnared in a quest for a 270 million-year-old fish fossil that feels like riding shotgun with Indy. Meticulously researched and spanning numerous disciplines, along with a ‘rockin' lot’ of evolution, Resurrecting the Shark is the compelling saga of how an ancient ocean oddity became a global passion project.” Shelf Awareness
“Ewing focuses on the group that solved the problem in 2013 while also providing accessible background material on basic geology, paleontology, taxonomy, and the scientific method. The details of shark anatomy can feel overwhelming, but Ewing brings to life the personalities of those who wrestled with these fossils to reveal ‘the beautiful, frustrating, addictive, rewarding way’ that research works.” —Publishers Weekly
"Ewing’s talent for narrative makes the story…a sure page-turner." —Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History magazine
“A fascinating deep-dive into the life and times of Helicoprion, a whorl-toothed shark from the Paleozoic past. Susan Ewing applies liberal doses of humor and enthusiasm to spin a compelling tale that neatly blends history of science, visual art, and modern paleontological research to recreate this once-mysterious animal and its kin.” —Anthony J. Martin, author of The Evolution Underground
"Susan Ewing travels through 400 million years of fish evolution and 400 years of scientific research, writing with entertaining yet scientifically accurate prose which will entertain both laymen and scientists alike. She focuses not only on the technical details of the science, but also on the panorama of eccentric scientists, rock hunters, and artists who have fallen under the spell of this huge predator over the decades. She captures the excitement of scientific discovery when a few years ago a team of paleontologists, biologists, engineers, and artists finally solved the riddle of Helicoprion’s improbable tooth whorl, and how the creature went about its daily business devouring abundant cephalopods in Permian seas."
—John A. Musick, Past Co-chair IUCN Shark Specialist Group and author of The Shark Chronicles
"A rocking good detective story with geology, art, and sharks!"
—David R. Montgomery, author of Growing A Revolution and The Rocks Don’t Lie
Susan Ewing
Writer, Editor, and Project Manager
TechLink Center University of Alaska-Fairbanks
Bozeman, Montana 223 223 connections
I’ve been writing professionally for more than twenty years for a variety of publications, purposes, and clients. Editors and clients value my writing and interviewing skills, professionalism, respect for deadlines, and collaborative attitude, and appreciate my ability to capture the tone, spirit, and content they were after to fulfill their communication goals.
Experience
TechLink Center
Communications Director, Defense Projects
Company Name TechLink Center
Dates Employed Jun 2015 – Present Employment Duration 2 yrs 5 mos
Location Montana State University
Project manager and senior editor, managing a team of writers creating stories and videos promoting the value of the Department of Defense's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and other technology transfer programs.
Freelance writer
Company Name Freelance Writer
Dates Employed 1991 – Present Employment Duration 26 yrs
Location Bozeman, MT
My latest book, RESURRECTING THE SHARK, was published in 2017 by Pegasus Books. I'm also the author of five other books, and my articles, essays, and short stories have appeared in Salon, Pacific Standard, Cowboys & Indians, Sports Afield, Gray's Sporting Journal, Big Sky Journal, Whitefish Review, Montana Quarterly, and other publications. My freelance work has also included contract writing for businesses, agencies, and nonprofits, producing brochures, marketing copy, interpretive signage, op-ed pieces, award nominations, web copy, and other content needs.
Marketing writer
Company Name Off the Beaten Path
Dates Employed 2003 – Present Employment Duration 14 yrs
Location Bozeman, MT
Currently working on digital marketing campaigns as well as other web and print materials for this Bozeman-based adventure travel company. Have previously been responsible for all of the marketing writing, including trip brochures, weekly email marketing blasts, postcard campaigns, web landing pages, and more. Also worked with the graphic designer to develop the company’s creative campaigns as well as manage aspects of print and online productions.
Education
University of Alaska-Fairbanks
Degree Name BA
Grade Graduated with honors
Volunteer Experience
Bozeman, MT
Former Meals on Wheels volunteer, and former board member for BridgerCare and Wild Things Unlimited.
Company Name Bozeman, MT
Publications
I Do, If You Will: Gender determinism in who will be the breadwinner The Agony (and Ecstasy?) of Indecision My Cat-Faced Charlotte Articles have appeared in: Pacific Standard, Salon, Sports Afield, Gray's Sporting Journal, Bugle, Fly Rod & Reel, Big Sky Journal, Montana Quarterly, and others. Books: The Great Rocky Mountain Nature Factbook, The Great Alaska Nature Factbook, Going Wild in Washington and Oregon, Ten Rowdy Ravens, and Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears.
Organization
National Association of Science Writers
Susan Ewing has been in love with the quirky side of nature from the day she discovered doodlebugs as a little girl. When she came across the story of the prehistoric buzz-saw shark named Helicoprion, she was captivated by its weirdness, dazzled by its extraordinary evolutionary experiment, and smitten by the stories of all the people who helped puzzle out its paleontology. Succumbing to the lure of an unusual tale waiting to be told, Ewing dug in. Her new book, RESURRECTING THE SHARK, traces the story of Helicoprion and opens a portal into the murky, little known world of Paleozoic chondrichthyans. For this shark story, you don’t even have to go near the water. . .
http://www.storycirclebookreviews.org/interviews/ewing.shtml
Story Circle Book Reviews
_______________reviewing books by, for, and about women
Susan Ewing Susan Ewing is the author of The Great Alaska Nature Factbook, The Great Rocky Mountain Nature Facebook, Going Wild in Washington and Oregon, plus several books for children, including Ten Rowdy Ravens. Her articles and essays have appeared in Salon, Pacific Standard, Outside Bozeman, Gray's Sporting Journal, Big Sky Journal, The Seattle Times, and other publications. She graduated from University of Alaska-Fairbanks and now lives in Bozeman, Montana. Visit her website.
Read Susan J. Tweit's review of Resurrecting the Shark for StoryCircleBookReviews.org.
Interviewed by Susan J. Tweit
Posted on 05/29/2017
You've written books about nature for kids and adults, from The Great Alaska Nature Factbook to Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears. Did you ever imagine writing a whole book on a fossil shark? Or, more accurately, on the personalities involved in the century-plus quest to figure out a fossil shark?
Never in a million years. Or even 270 million years!
When your friend Ray Troll, piscine artist extraordinaire, introduced you to Helicoprion, the long-extinct buzz-saw shark, did you think "this could be a book" right away?
Ray and I are old friends, so I have been aware of Helicoprion ever since he included Helico in Sharkabet, his 2002 shark alphabet book. At that time,<< it was just one weird beast in a crowd of weird beasts>>. I didn't think give it much thought. <
Resurrecting the Shark is a science detective story with a huge cast of characters. How long did it take you to research and write the book?
I worked on the book for about three and a half years, researching, interviewing, and educating myself enough to understand the world of paleo sharks and the Helicoprion research. The writing itself took about a year and a half.
One of the things I really admire about Resurrecting the Shark is your <
Thank you! I knew from the very beginning that people would be at the heart of the book, because that was the part of the story that most compelled me.
What was it like talking to Team Helico, the disparate assortment of scientists who came together to figure out the anatomy and life of this top predator who prowled the seas so long before dinosaurs appeared? Were they welcoming and forthcoming? And how difficult was it to get up to speed on marine paleontology, sharks, anatomy, and taxonomy, among many other disciplines, in order to understand what they had found?
To a person, everyone was incredibly warm and welcoming, and very patient. I conducted hours upon hours of interviews with Team Helico members and others (in person, on the phone, and in cars on the way to somewhere), and they always made time for me. They were equally helpful and accessible for follow-up questions, and then more follow-up questions. I met spouses and kids, shared meals, and was graciously hosted in guest rooms and even a guest tent at a field camp. I'm in debt to them all.
Getting up to speed on the specific science of Helicoprion and Paleozoic sharks was one of the hardest things I've ever undertaken. There were moments at my desk when I felt literally sick to my stomach trying to decipher a journal article. It would take me an hour to work through one paragraph because I had to research every other word. Surprisingly, other than a few sections in a few textbooks, there are no books out there that summarize and explain the evolutionary science and paleontology of Paleozoic sharks, so most of my information came from interviews and academic articles. But I had to power through it because I needed to understand it all myself so I could share what was amazing and important with readers.
How did you ever keep track of the incredible amount of information you drew on to write the story, from the history of paleontology to the means of attachment of shark jaws to the names of pioneering scientists in the fossil world? (By the way, I loved that you found a woman scientist) from the Victorian era involved in the story!) Did you use a particular kind of software or do you have a particular method to track all of those bits of information?
"Miss" Fanny Hitchcock! She was the first woman to receive a doctorate in chemistry from University of Pennsylvania, in addition to being a champion of women's education and early conservationist. Discovering people like Fanny was the most fun part of the research.
For keeping track of info, I ascribe to the "binders, file folders, and e-folders" method of organization. Miscellaneous hard-copy notes or images went into manila file folders with various topic labels (jaw suspension, phylogeny, Permian, Karpinsky...). Notes that I kept on my computer were sorted the same way, each in its own "topic" document (I think I had 115 topic files). Excerpts that I photocopied from text books or journal articles got three-hole punched and put into binders. Which reminds me, thank goodness for interlibrary loan. I was able to get obscure resource books and journal articles through my local library for no fee. What a great country we live in.
Also, I recorded all my interviews, which I transcribed and printed out to put in binders. Transcribing is a tedious and enormously time consuming process, but very productive. It's amazing how much I get out of listening to an interview the second time around. Also, then I can search the transcripts for key words when I'm looking for something in particular.
It seems to me that all great science writing depends on a lively ability to use analogy and metaphor to help readers relate to abstract concepts, unfamiliar creatures, and the personalities behind the science. <
That's always been my natural writing style—although I was surprised at how much fun I was able to have with the language and images in this book. I didn't expect that.
Do you have favorites among the many personalities in the large cast of characters in Resurrecting the Shark? Did anyone particularly surprise you as you learned the part they played and who they were?
They all surprised me in one way or another. Ray is the high-personality thread that pulls it all together, and I think meeting Jesse Pruitt and Leif Tapanila sealed the deal for me. Such cool guys. Funny and brilliant and scrupulous with their science while also being unconcerned about academic convention. I loved Fanny of course. And Alexander Karpinsky—the Russian geologist who named Helicoprion in 1899. Not only did Karpinsky have a lovely singing voice, he also saved significant archives and equipment during the chaos of the Russian revolution.
Explain the use of augmented reality in visualizing the shark, and how it is used in the book. Was it your idea to develop an app so that book readers could see the "live" digital renderings of Helicoprion that can't be portrayed on a book page (even an ebook)?
Augmented reality (AR) models are 3-D digital models that pop up on a smartphone with an app. You open the app, focus your phone camera on a designated piece of target art, and a 3-D image pops up. Jesse built the app (called "Resurrecting the Shark") and created four models for the book. The app is available free for Android devices though Google Play. He wrote an app for the iPhone platform, but hasn't been able to break though Apple's developer labyrinth to get it up on the Apple Store. Yet!
On my last trip to Pocatello for the final round of interviews, I was yakking with Jesse and he said, "Hey, how about I develop some augmented reality models and an app for the book?" I'd never heard of augmented reality before. He was teaching himself how to do it, and showed me a model. I loved it, so jumped on his offer. One of the AR models that Jesse created is the jaws opening and closing around the tooth whorl, which really helps people visualize how it worked. So there's a great educational component, plus they're just really fun.
What did you learn in researching Resurrecting the Shark that you never imagined you needed to know? Or put differently, how did researching Helicoprion and the scientists involved in figuring out the buzz-saw shark change you and your perspective on life?
It's hard to know where to even begin answering this question. Working on the book changed and broadened my life in so many ways. First there was the science itself—developing a greater appreciation for the concept of deep time; really thinking about our beautiful planet and how incredibly dynamic earth processes and biological processes are. The complexity and resilience (given the chance) of natural systems is mind-boggling. Every leaf, every frog, every shark is a wonder. I was also very inspired by the stories of all the people I encountered,<< from historical figures to modern players.>> <
What are you working on now?
My good friend and artist extraordinaire, Evon Zerbetz and I are "resurrecting" a project we started years ago—a fable about two sisters who are as different as night and day (hint), but who discover how much they need each other. The time feels right, and in any case, we're having a lot of fun. (Evon and I collaborated on Ten Rowdy Ravens and Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears.)
For all you writers out there—writers or scientists or gardeners or artists or race car drivers—remember: all you have to do to find your own true buried treasure is dig. Don't ever let anyone steal your shovel!
Susan J. Tweit is the award-winning author of twelve books (including her memoir, Walking Nature Home: A Life's Journey, and Colorado Scenic Byways, winner of the Colorado Book Award), numerous magazine articles, and newspaper columns. Visit her website.
Author/Publicist: For promotion purposes, you may quote excerpts of up to 200 words from this interview, with a link to this page. Copyright to the interview is held jointly by the interviewer and interviewee. If you wish to reprint the full interview, you may do so ONLY with the written permission of both, and with a link back to this page. Contact our Book Review Editor (bookreviews at storycirclebookreviews.org) with your request and she will forward it to the appropriate persons.
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Works
Nonfiction Books
Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-Million-Year-Old Fossil, Pegasus Books, 2017.
The Great Alaska Nature Factbook, Alaska Northwest Books, 1996; revised 2011.
The Great Rocky Mountain Nature Factbook, WestWinds Press, 1999.
Shadow Cat (co-edited with Elizabeth Grossman), Sasquatch Books, 1999.
Going Wild in Washington and Oregon, Alaska Northwest Books, 1993.
Nonfiction Anthology Contributions
“To Each Her Own,” Heart Shots, Stackpole Books, Fall 2003.
“Slipping the Knot,” A Road of Her Own, Fulcrum Books, 2002.
“Riding Whitewater, Seeing Shadows,” American Nature Writing: 1997, Sierra Club Books, 1997.
“The Art of Grassroots,” Alaska Passages, Sasquatch Books, 1996.
“Antelope, Annie Oakley and the Screaming Demons,” Solo: On Her Own Adventure, Seal Press, 1996.
Children’s Books
Life is All Around Us, co-authored with Madeline Kotowicz, Montana State University Astrobiology Research Center, 2012.
Ten Rowdy Ravens, Alaska Northwest Books, 2005.
Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears, Alaska Northwest Books, 1996.
Articles and Essays
Nonfiction essays and articles have appeared in Salon, Pacific Standard online, Cowboys & Indians, Sports Afield, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Big Sky Journal, Montana Quarterly, Zone 4, Whitefish Review, The Seattle Times, Spa magazine, Fly Rod & Reel, Spur, Bugle: Journal of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Northwest Parks and Wildlife, Northwest Travel, Washington Magazine, Washington Wildlife, Alaska Fisherman’s Journal, Seafood Leader, and other publications.
Short Stories
“Taking the Long Way,” Whitefish Review, Summer 2009.
“Ground Tied,” Bugle: Journal of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, October 2008.
“Centrifugal Force,” Big Sky Journal, Winter 2003.
“The Other Side of Elk Camp,” Bugle: Journal of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Jan/?Feb 2003.
“Hunger,” The Acorn, Number 36, 2002.
“Crossing Over,” Bugle: Journal of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Sept/?Oct 2002.
Fiction Anthology Contributions
“Crossing Over,” Wild and Fair, Safari Press, 2008.
Ewing, Susan: RESURRECTING THE SHARK
Kirkus Reviews.
(Feb. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Ewing, Susan RESURRECTING THE SHARK Pegasus (Adult Nonfiction) $27.95 4, 4 ISBN: 978-1-68177-343-8
Excavating the history of the "one-in-a-billion buzz saw shark."Ewing (The Great Alaska Nature Factbook: A Guide to
the State's Remarkable Animals, Plants, and Natural Features, 2011 etc.) begins her complex, excessively detailed tale
with the invitation by an artist friend, Ray Troll, to attend an exhibit titled "The Whorl Tooth Sharks of Idaho," which
featured his work. The author was captivated by a life-size reconstruction on exhibit at the museum featuring a "bizarre
extinct shark, Helicoprion," a prehistoric creature that hunted the oceans some 270 to 280 million years ago. Ewing
describes the fossil as a "big brown slab of rock" that was "about the size of a bicycle wheel" and bore the imprint of a
logarithmic spiral. In 1993, while conducting research, Troll, a "paleo-fish enthusiast," had visited the Natural History
Museum of Los Angeles and became intrigued by the Helicoprion fossil he found in the basement; he began sketching
his vision of how the now-extinct shark might have looked when it was alive. Another fossil was discovered in 2010 in
the basement of the Idaho Museum of Natural History by an Idaho State student who was cataloging Ice Age mammals.
Ewing relates that find to an earlier discovery of the Helicoprion in the 1880s, which occurred in Russia and was
described in an 1899 monograph. The author labels this the dawn of the discipline of paleoecology, when researchers
established "the geological ground rule that unique fossil sets in rock layers succeed one another." The fossil set off a
debate among scientists about what the fossil represented, "a spiral of teeth" or "a fin spine." By 1905, there were 44
scholarly papers from the United States, Russia, Europe, and Japan that contributed to the debate; in 1912, it was
ultimately resolved in favor of the teeth hypothesis. <> that suffers from an
overabundance of detail but benefits from 24 pages of lively photos.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Ewing, Susan: RESURRECTING THE SHARK." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2017. General OneFile,
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p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA480921892&it=r&asid=b6aa0ae3e7d232a2947a59854ec0a5b2.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
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Ewing, Susan. Resurrecting the Shark: A
Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who
Solved the Mystery of a 270-Million-Year-Old
Fossil
Library Journal.
142.3 (Feb. 15, 2017): p108.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
Ewing, Susan. Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-
Million-Year-Old Fossil. Pegasus. Apr. 2017. 288p. illus. notes. ISBN 9781681773438. $27.95; ebk. ISBN
9781681773926. NATHIST
A weird creature from deep time comes alive in this engaging account of Helicoprion, the "buzz saw" shark, which
patrolled the seas around the supercontinent Gondwana some 270 to 280 million years ago. Since the first fossil
fragment was discovered in the 1880s in Australia, a paleontological mystery has centered on the animal's tooth whorl--
a feature resembling a circular saw blade, with as many as 150 teeth. As more (and more complete) fossils were found,
scientists wrestled with problems concerning the location and mechanics of the whorl and with questions about where
(or if) the animal fit into sharks' evolutionary tree. While the shark itself fascinates, Ewing (Great Alaska Nature
Factbook) tells an equally interesting story about the development of paleontology, highlighting its important early
contributors. The fossil riddle was finally solved a few years back by a crack team of scientists, an engineer, and an
artist--yes, an artist: Alaskan painter and self-described "paleo fish-freak" Ray Troll, who not only pictured the fabulous
beast but also was a catalyst in assembling the players and, evidently, in powering the effort. VERDICT Ewing blows
the dust off dry scientific reportage with her lively style and wit. Her book should have broad appeal to a wide range of
readers--sharks, of course, are a cultural phenomenon, and paleo sharks only double the fun.--Robert Eagan, Windsor
P.L., Ont.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Ewing, Susan. Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-
Million-Year-Old Fossil." Library Journal, 15 Feb. 2017, p. 108+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA481649179&it=r&asid=6370b6c78f5b061f3185a8611ca4884a.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
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Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession
and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a
270-Million-Year-Old Fossil
Publishers Weekly.
264.7 (Feb. 13, 2017): p66.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-Million-Year-Old
Fossil Susan Ewing. Pegasus, $27.95 (288p) ISBN 978-1-68177-343-8
Ewing (The Great Alaska Nature Factbook), a nature writer and children s author, shares the century-long story of
scientific investigation that resulted in the discovery of Helicoprion, "one of the largest predatory fish in the global
oceans, [which cruised] the top of the food chain for ten to fifteen million years." Since the 1880s, when a bizarre fossil
of what appeared to be a prehistoric shark was found in Australia, scientists have been attempting to figure out what this
animal looked like and how it functioned. The fossil itself was so confusing--a round plate with whorls of "fourteen
serrated points"--that the world's best paleontologists argued for years over whether the points were fish-spines or teeth.
The whorl of points turned out to be a single curved tooth fixed to the fish's bottom jaw, much like a buzz saw. Ewing
focuses on the group that solved the problem in 2013 while also providing accessible background material on basic
geology, paleontology, taxonomy, and the scientific method. <
addictive, rewarding way" that research works. Agent: Laurie Abkemeier; DeFiore and Company. (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Resurrecting the Shark: A Scientific Obsession and the Mavericks Who Solved the Mystery of a 270-Million-Year-Old
Fossil." Publishers Weekly, 13 Feb. 2017, p. 66+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA482198220&it=r&asid=5c211d828ae6485a10dfcb3503962ce8.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
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Shadow Cat: Encountering the American
Mountain Lion
Nancy J. Moeckel
Library Journal.
124.7 (Apr. 15, 1999): p141.
COPYRIGHT 1999 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.libraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
Shadow Cat: Encountering the American Mountain Lion.
Sasquatch. Apr. 1999. c.240p. ed. by Susan Ewing & Elizabeth Grossman. ISBN 1-57061-154-8. pap. $15.95. NAT
HIST
The cougar, puma, mountain lion (or any number of other names) is considered extirpated from the eastern United
States. An endangered population of a (debatable) subspecies, the Florida panther, numbers about 50 individuals.
However, in the West, cougars are encountering humans more often, and their numbers are estimated to be strong.
Unfortunately, as a result of increased contact, more humans (nine) have died from cougar attacks in the last 25 years
than in the previous 100. Hence the timely publication of these two titles and others (e.g., Karen McCall's Cougar:
Ghost of the Rockies, LJ 11/15/92). In Mountain Lion, wildlife photographer Cox's collection of outstanding color
photos features cougars in action, in repose, at play, with their young, on the hunt, and more, as well as views of the
rugged terrain that supports the great cats. Grambo's text offers a concise natural history, comments on human
encounters and future concerns, and a brief bibliography. Shadow Cat is an anthology of 20 essays on the American
mountain lion by such noted writers as Rick Bass, David Quammen, and Terry Tempest Williams covering natural
history, human encounters, hunting issues, and predator politics. This nicely balanced collection covers the issues from
more than one perspective. Both titles are recommended for public libraries and natural history collections.--Nancy J.
Moeckel, Miami Univ. Libs, Oxford, OH
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Moeckel, Nancy J. "Shadow Cat: Encountering the American Mountain Lion." Library Journal, 15 Apr. 1999, p. 141.
General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA54542895&it=r&asid=d7322c8fa99a480cae727729009ae220.
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SHADOW CAT: Encountering the American
Mountain Lion
Publishers Weekly.
246.6 (Feb. 8, 1999): p201.
COPYRIGHT 1999 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Edited by Susan Ewing and Elizabeth Grossman. Sasquatch, $15.95 paper (240p) ISBN 1-57061-154-8
Divided into three sections (natural history, encounters and government policies), Ewing (Going Wild in Washington
and Oregon) and Grossman's collection of 20 brief essays and stories presents a multifaceted view of America's
mountain lion, also known as the panther, cougar, puma and catamount. Though the selections--many original to this
volume--are generally clearly written, some are zestier than others. Susan J. Tweit's "Mountain Lion" is little more than
a list of the great cat's statistics, while Ted Williams's "The Lion's Silent Return" provides an impassioned view of the
animal's history and the laws that threaten it. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas convincingly imagines a puma's trip into a city
and provides useful advice on how to protect yourself from attack. However, Rick Bass's tale about a young man's first
cougar sighting and Pam Houston's essay on how her search for Edward Abbey's mountain lion led her to discover other
joys in the West don't match those authors' best work. Overall, though, this anth ology, which also presents pieces by
Terry Tempest Williams, David Quammen and Chris Bolgiano, among others, brings fresh material to what the editors
call the "debate over wildness and wilderness," and provides a wealth of information on the cat that once roamed from
Canada to South America. (Apr.)
FYI: Formerly an agent with Sterling Lord in New York, Grossman is now a media and publishing manager for
Northwest Environment Watch in Portland.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"SHADOW CAT: Encountering the American Mountain Lion." Publishers Weekly, 8 Feb. 1999, p. 201. General
OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA53872194&it=r&asid=3c62c20a5e4a23adcec519f9249b365e.
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Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears
Publishers Weekly.
243.39 (Sept. 23, 1996): p77.
COPYRIGHT 1996 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Susan Ewing, illus. by Evon Zerbetz.
Alaska Northwest, $15.95 (32p) ISBN 0-88240-475-X
This humorous rhyming revue features 15 animals from the Pacific Northwest. Accompanied by exuberant handcolored
lino-cuts, doggerel verse sings the eccentricities of each critter. Ewing (The Great Alaska Nature Factbook)
homes in on kid-pleasing peculiarities, from the peripatetic caribou ("Yoo-hoo, Caribou, where are you going now?/Is
migration like vacation? Excuse me? Mrs. Cow?") to the toothy walrus ("Tusks are used for other tasks, but if I may be
honest,/ If I had teeth like that I'd call my brother's orthodontist"). Set against lively backgrounds that loosely evoke
each animal's habitat, first-time illustrator Zerbetz's eye-grabbing illustrations raise the energy level with their dynamic
lines and vibrant composition. Although the verse does not always maintain a solid punch, the instructive purpose is
well served: <
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears." Publishers Weekly, 23 Sept. 1996, p. 77. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA18703697&it=r&asid=942b60e3dd1e9078eca80c9d1b4a0da2.
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Ewing, Susan. Ten Rowdy Ravens
Linda L. Walkins
School Library Journal.
52.1 (Jan. 2006): p118.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
EWING, Susan. Ten Rowdy Ravens. illus. by Evon Zerbetz. unpaged. Alaska Northwest. 2005. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-
88240-606-X; pap. $8.95. ISBN 0-88240-610-8. LC 2005014709.
PreS-Gr 6--The author and illustrator of Lucky Hares and Itchy Bears (Alaska Northwest, 1996) have teamed up again
to create an original counting book. This one not only teaches numbers, but also cleverly showcases the impish nature of
corvus corax. The adventurous birds swoop and cavort across the pages of dramatic, hand-colored linocut illustrations,
causing trouble wherever they land. The carefully crafted, rhyming verses, such as "Eight roguish ravens/Pilfer piles of
loot,/Cheater swipes some pretty pearls,/Seven give pursuit," capture the fun. With bold lines and rich, jewel-tone
colors, the artwork displays the larger-than-life birds against the stunning background of their northern habitat. Children
will enjoy perusing The Daily Kaw, an appended seven-page tabloid that features "True News from around the Raven
World." It includes scientific information about the creatures, as well as amusing stories profiling their mischievous
antics. Pair this fun-filled title with Gerald McDermott's Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest (Harcourt,
1993).--Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA
Walkins, Linda L.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Walkins, Linda L. "Ewing, Susan. Ten Rowdy Ravens." School Library Journal, Jan. 2006, p. 118. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA141092046&it=r&asid=e0921770d22cb7af5cc3ed27b2889751.
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Ewing, Susan. Ten Rowdy Ravens
School Library Journal.
52.10 (Oct. 2006): pS32.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
EWING, Susan. Ten Rowdy Ravens. illus. by Evon Zerbetz. unpaged. Alaska Northwest. 2005. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-
88240-606-X; pap. $8.95. ISBN 0-88240-610-8. LC 2005014709.
K-Gr 4--Bold, hand-colored linoleum-block prints reveal the mischievous behavior of these winged rascals. The first
part of the book features counting rhymes starring "Ten rowdy ravens ready for a lark," while the second half presents a
collection of amusing stories about the antics of real ravens. B
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Ewing, Susan. Ten Rowdy Ravens." School Library Journal, Oct. 2006, p. S32. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA153361074&it=r&asid=032867080227ced30b9792d15cb9d532.
Accessed 7 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A153361074