About Jeffrey Dunn

As featured on NPR and Medium, Jeffrey Dunn is a critically acclaimed author and award-winning teacher. His works of cultural fiction include the Washington State Book Award-nominated Radio Free Olympia, the surreal Dream Fishing the Little Spokane, his upcoming Wildcat, An Appalachian Romance as well as Whiskey Rebel, and his poetry collection Hubcap Collection Plate. His Ph.D. in English literature and cultural studies laid the foundation for his 41-year teaching career where he focused on addressing student learning issues and implementing educational programs at the local, state, and national levels. Embracing his dyslexia as a gift, this dream fisher and history miner roams the woods whenever possible.

Publications

• Whiskey Rebel (coming 2024)
• Wildcat (coming June 2024)
• Radio Free Olympia (2023)
• Hubcap Collection Plate (2022)
• Dream Fishing the Little Spokane (2017)

Fun Facts

In a crowded hospital where cradles were scarce, newborn Jeffrey found his first bed in a Buster Brown shoe box.
He was baptized in water that his grandfather Dunn brought back from the Jordan River.
On the third day of kindergarten, he seized a fleeting moment—his teacher's distracted glance—and ran for freedom.
Richard Brautigan’s 'In Watermelon Sugar' saved his ninth-grade soul.
Raised Presbyterian, he has acquired a taste for Buddhism and Collectivism.
He is a certified Roman Catholic school teacher with fifteen years’ experience in parochial schools.
He has a Ph.D. in English Literature and Culture Studies, the later an experimental, non-departmental Ph. D. certificate program.

In the world of intellect, he proudly carries on the legacy of Britain’s Colin MacCabe and Raymond Williams.
Standing shoulder to shoulder with Allen Ginsberg, they daringly provoked Lyndon Larouche's supporters in a high-stakes game of snapshot duels.
He is dyslexic.
He has retired from 41 years of teaching high school English, especially supporting students who struggled with reading and writing and, in general, with graduating.
Born in the Midwest and raised in the East, he has become a dyed-in-the wool Westerner.

Book Reviews

Booklife Review

Off the farthest Northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula, an infant floating on the Pacific in an empty petroleum barrel is discovered by a lone lumberjack and given the fitting name Petr. So begins Dunn’s multi-voiced, magic-touched, folklore-minded novel celebrating the peninsula and its people. Petr grows up considering every sound of the forest “a conversation with the animals, the plants, and even the stones,” developing a deep feeling for nature and Native American culture while also discovering the human world through a transistor radio. After his adoptive father dies with ax in hand, Petr travels, finding himself working at a shake mill, and going to college at Black Hills Technical School, walking the line between dream and reality. His grand project: his pirate radio broadcasts of his conversations with the people (and frog choruses) of the Peninsula.

Radio Free Olympia blends local history, nature writing, indigenous storytelling, disquisitions on topics like free will, and a love for tall tales into a richly woven narrative filled with (mis)adventures and surprising observations from a variety of voices, such as Raven, a follower of Petr with little respect for the fourth wall, or arresting bursts of freeform poetry from Baie detailing the creation of “...a wayward / women’s roadhouse, / a monastery for / wildsisters.” When Petr’s nomadic soul meets Baie’s need for home, Dunn leaves it to readers to wonder whether it’s fate, coincidence, or shared revelation.

The novel’s blending of the ordinary and the extraordinary, the mundane and magical, is ambitious, playful, and at times challenging, as in the final chapter, when all speakers converge instead of enjoying their own individual chapters. Despite this, though, whether it’s “I, Raven, in the air or White Otter in the water or Petr in the pulse or Baie in the spirit..." all the roads taken by Dunn and his people lead together to a common point, one that feels, for all the novel’s audacity and the threat of natural disaster, like life itself.

Takeaway: Four unique souls’ beautifully penned adventures in Olympic Peninsula.
Comparable Titles: Donald Harington, Richard Brautigan.
Production grades:
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
(source)

Readers Favorite Review

Appearance: 5
The appearance of a book can make a significant impact on the experience of a reader, whose enjoyment is often enhanced by an enticing cover, an intriguing table of contents, interesting chapter headings, and when possible, eye-catching illustrations.

Plot: 5
The characters of a book should be well defined with strengths and flaws, and while they do not have to be likable, the reader does have to be able to form a connection with them. The tone should be consistent, the theme should be clear, and the plot should be original or told from a unique perspective. For informative books -- those without plot and characters--this rating refers primarily to your concept and how well you presented it.

Development: 5
Development refers to how effectively you told your story or discussed your topic. The dialogue should be realistic, the descriptions should be vivid, and the material should be concise and coherent. Organization is also a key factor, especially for informative books -- those without plot and characters. The order in which you tell your story or explain your topic and how smoothly it flows can have a huge impact on the reader's understanding and enjoyment of the material.

Formatting: 5
Formatting is the single most overlooked area by authors. The way in which you describe scenes, display dialogue, and shift point of view can make or break your story. In addition, excessive grammatical errors and typos can give your book an amateurish feel and even put off readers completely.

Marketability: 5
Marketability refers to how effectively you wrote your book for your target audience. Authors may include content that is above or below the understanding of their target reader, or include concepts, opinions or language that can accidentally confuse or alienate some readers. Although by its nature this rating is very subjective, a very low rating here and poor reviews may indicate an issue with your book in this area.

Overall Opinion: 5
The overall starred rating takes into account all these elements and describes the overall reading experience of your reviewer. This is the official Readers' Favorite review rating for your book.

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Radio Free Olympia is a work of fiction penned in a literary style that explores the cultural, social, and ecological subgenres. It is best suited to the general adult reading audience. Penned by author Jeffrey Dunn, this novel follows a small cast of characters from the same place, exploring and celebrating the wild splendor of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. As a missing infant rallies a roadhouse full of displaced women into action, a pirate radio station broadcasts from deep in the mountain rainforest. What results is a beautiful snapshot of a place seemingly frozen in time, but one that will come under threat from the modern world if those who love it don’t stand up to protect it.

Author Jeffrey Dunn has crafted a novel unlike anything else that I’ve read this year, and I found myself absolutely falling in love with the Peninsula and its wild, untamed beauty as I devoured this multisensory feast of a story. The craftsmanship in the wordplay and scene setting is second to none, offering not only a cinematic vision of this little microcosm of paradise but a real sense of how the ecology, culture, and attitude of the place come together to form their own personality. This is imbued into each of the central characters and adds a new layer of spirit to their personal quests for freedom, belonging, and justice, making you all the more inclined to root for the success of the community as a whole.
Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend Radio Free Olympia to fans of highly original and beautifully penned literary fiction.

Midwest Book Review

Come, see the world through my eyes . . .

In 1993, Washington State's Olympic Peninsula called my name, and I answered. Throwing caution to the wind, I packed myself and my family and whisked them away into the untamed wilderness of Elma, Washington. I didn't look back as I was leaving the safety and security of the industrial world of Pittsburg, PA.

I had a dream to make my mark on this land, which involved introducing a Pirate radio station. I wanted the voices from the Olympic mountains to come alive and become adopted into the world.

Will my dreams be turned into a reality? Or will I fail to give society a glimpse of my world?

Radio Free Olympia provides a different method of reading a book. Four primary characters relate life in their particular tone and personality. Each one offers a unique breath of air that keeps the book moving forward at an enjoyable pace.

Jeffrey Dunn has created a book like no other I've ever experienced. Having four solid characters and seeing the world through their eyes was a unique and unexpected surprise. I liked how he used different ways to present their story. One moment you read it in a first-person stance, and the next, you find yourself immersed in poetry. To say this book provides a wealth of variety is an understatement.