New book and upcoming readings from Empty Bowl
January 22, 2026
Ahoy!
Just about a year ago, we released Waveshock: Ed Ricketts, the Voyage of the Grampus, and Our Biopoetic Future by Jerry Martien. Waveshock tells the story of pioneering intertidal ecologist Ed Ricketts, scholar Joseph Campbell, and early environmentalists Jack Calvin and his Russian-Tlingit partner Sasha Kashevaroff on their voyage north to Sitka, Alaska. Those of you who read the book know that Waveshock was in part inspired by Ed Ricketts: From Cannery Row to Sitka, Alaska, a collection of essays edited by whale biologist Janice M. Straley. A revised edition of Straley’s book was published in 2020 by Old Sitka Rocks Press. Thanks to a recent agreement with Jan, Empty Bowl is delighted to announce that this collection is now available on our website and through our distributor, Asterism Books.
With a foreword by Ed Rickett’s daughter Nancy and a moving preface and introduction by Jan Straley that describes Ricketts’s influence on her life and career, this unique collection includes works by researchers and scientists, with Ed Ricketts’s breakthrough “Wave Shock” essay serving as the book’s centerpiece. This edition is beautifully designed by Carolyn Servid and includes historic photographs plus illustrations by Sitka artist Norman Campbell that provide intimate visual renderings of Ricketts’s passion: the diverse and bountiful inhabitants of the waters along the Pacific Coast.
In all, Ed Ricketts: From Cannery Row to Sitka, Alaska is a compelling collection celebrating the life of this iconic scientist, and we’re happy to make it available to our readers, especially those who enjoyed Jerry Martien’s Waveshock and want to take a deeper dive into those rich, intertidal waters.
In other news, a heads up that several readings are on the horizon, with special thanks to our friend and colleague Dr. Jason Wirth at Seattle University:
Tuesday, February 17, at 6 p.m. in the Rolfe Community Room at Seattle University (located in the Admissions and Alumni building on 12th Avenue)
Red Pine and Andrew Schelling will be reading from recently published translations of classical Chinese and Sanskrit texts, respectively:
If a Mountain Lion Could Sing and Old Time Love Song Magic. Free. Light refreshments will be served.
Tuesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. in the Rolfe Community Room at Seattle University
Jerry Martien will be reading from Waveshock: Ed Ricketts, the Voyage of the Grampus and Our Biopoetic Future and A Watershed Runs Through You: Essays, Talks & Reflections on Salmon, Restoration and Community, essays by Freeman House. Jerry will also be reading from his new collection of poetry. The reading is free. Light refreshments will be served.
Jerry Martien will also be reading from his Empty Bowl books and his poetry collection in Port Townsend on Thursday, March 12, from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Friends Meeting House, 1841 Sheridan Avenue.
For more details, see our events page.
Stay tuned for news on our upcoming releases by Anna Linzer, Charles Goodrich, Peter Quinn, Mistee St. Clair, and Sally Green in the next newsletter.
Yours in the tidepools,
Holly & John