Patrick Dean and Boyce Upholt discuss Patrick's new book, A WINDOW TO HEAVEN, on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/LemuriaBookstore/

In 1913, four men made a months-long journey by dog sled to the base of the tallest mountain in North America. Several groups had already tried but failed to reach the top of a mountain whose size—occupying 120 square miles of the earth’s surface —and position as the Earth’s northernmost peak of more than 6,000 meters elevation make it one of the world’s deadliest mountains. Although its height from base to top is actually greater than Everest’s, it is Denali's weather, not altitude, that have caused the great majority of fatalities—over a hundred since 1903.

Denali experiences weather more severe than the North Pole, with temperatures of forty below zero and winds that howl at 80 to 100 miles per hour for days at a stretch. But in 1913 none of this mattered to Hudson Stuck, a fifty-year old Episcopal priest, Harry Karstens, the hardened Alaskan wilderness guide, Walter Harper, part of the Koyukon people, and Robert Tatum, a divinity student, both just in their twenties. They were all determined to be the first to set foot on top of Denali.

In A Window to Heaven, Patrick Dean brings to life this heart-pounding and spellbinding feat of this first ascent and paints a rich portrait of the frontier at the turn of the twentieth century. The story of Stuck and his team will lead us through the Texas frontier and Tennessee mountains to an encounter with Jack London at the peak of the Yukon Goldrush. We experience Stuck's awe at the rich Inuit and Athabascan indigenous traditions—and his efforts to help preserve these ways of life.

Filled with daring exploration and rich history, A Window to Heaven is a brilliant and spellbinding narrative of success against the odds.

Traveling the world, interviewing fascinating people, uncovering gripping tales: writing longform magazine stories can look like the absolute dream. But how do you break in?

In this class, award-winning journalist Boyce Upholt will share the practices that helped him build a career in magazine writing -- without going to journalism school. The class will be structured around a close examination of a successful “pitch” letter - the first step in getting editors to consider your story, and one of the most important tools in your toolbox. After clarifying what kind of writing you want to do, you will learn specific steps to conceive and pitch an excellent story immediately. We will also talk about long-term best practices, from identifying and cultivating relationships with editors to managing money.

Sign up for this class here.