Wallach, Jeff 1960-

views updated

WALLACH, Jeff 1960-

PERSONAL: Born 1960, in Brooklyn, NY; son of Sidney (a jeweler) and Rosemay (a homemaker and retail jeweler; maiden name, Wolfe) Wallach; married Renee Renfrow (a graphic designer and licensed massage therapist). Education: Vassar College, B.A., 1982; Brown University, M.A., 1984. Hobbies and other interests: White-water rafting, backpacking, SCUBA diving, golf, travel, literature.

ADDRESSES: Office—2519 SouthEast Madison Street, Portland, OR 97214. Agent—Bob Mecoy, Creative Book Services, 1 West St., Suite 100, New York, NY 10004. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Environmentalist, white-water river guide, and freelance writer. Has taught writing at Milton Academy, Lewis and Clark College, Oregon Graduate Institute, and at writers' conferences throughout the West.

MEMBER: Golf Writer's Association of America.

WRITINGS:

Beyond the Fairway: Zen Lessons, Insights, and Attitudes of Golf, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 1995.

What the River Says: Whitewater Journeys along the Frontier, Blue Heron Publishing (Portland, OR), 1996.

Breaking 100: Eugene Country Club's First Century, Graphic Arts (Portland, OR), 1999.

Driven to Extremes: Uncommon Lessons from Golf's Unmanicured Terrain, Burford Books (Short Hills, NJ), 2002.

Northwest Best Golf Destinations, Sasquatch Books (Seattle, WA), 2004.

Freelance contributor of more than 500 articles, essays, and reviews to periodicals, including Sports Illustrated, Men's Health, Men's Journal, Outside, Sierra, Rodale's SCUBA Diving, GOLF Magazine, Travel Holiday, Discover, and Money.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A novel, tentatively titled Pool and Drop.

SIDELIGHTS: Jeff Wallach has written more than five hundred articles about the great outdoors, golf, travel, environmental issues, SCUBA diving, and white-water river adventures. He is also the author of five books. The first, Beyond the Fairways: Zen Lessons, Insights, and Inner Attitudes of Golf, is a collection of some of the many pieces he has written for periodicals and newspapers. A Publishers Weekly reviewer praised the book as "elegant and funny." Another golf book, Wallach's Driven to Extremes: Uncommon Tales from Golf's Unmanicured Terrain, is also a collection of his previously published essays and articles, which he divides into three general subject areas: golf instruction, golf courses, and an eclectic assortment of golfing personalities. Booklist reviewer Bill Ott noted, "Golf fans looking to read something totally different from your run-of-the-mill analysis and instruction will find Wallach a rare treat." Reviewer Steven Silkunas of Library Journal wrote that Driven to Extremes will primarily be of interest to "the diehard golf enthusiast" and those who collect books about golf.

Wallach told CA: "I've been interested in writing since I was about twelve years old. I'm a big Hemingway fan and believe that well-crafted writing doesn't have to be overly complex. I also loved reading the early Outside Magazine and was influenced by such great outdoor writers as Tim Cahill. I always compose on the computer and usually write anywhere from three to ten drafts of a work, layering with humor, switching out tired words with perkier ones in subsequent drafts once I nailed my content. I want my books to excite people about traveling to the places I write about, and to want to read more." Wallach's What the River Says: White Water Journeys along the Inner Frontier chronicles one summer the author spent working as a white-water guide on Idaho's River of No Return.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2002, Bill Ott, review of Driven to Extremes: Uncommon Tales from Golf's Unmanicured Terrain, p. 1666.

Library Journal, July 2002, Steven Silkunas, review of Driven to Extremes, p. 89.

Publishers Weekly, April 3, 1995, review of Beyond the Fairway: Zen Lessons, Insights, and Inner Attitudes of Golf; July 1, 2002, review of Driven to Extremes: Uncommon Lessons from Golf's Unmanicured Terrain, p. 70.