Doug Fine

Doug Fine is an American author, journalist, humorist, and goat herder.[1][2]

Doug Fine
Born
New York, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materStanford University
OccupationAuthor, Journalist, Filmmaker, Speaker, Comedian
Website

Early life

Fine left the East Coast of the United States for college in 1989.[3] Shortly thereafter, he strapped a pack on his back and began his career as a freelance journalist for such organizations as the Washington Post, Salon, U.S. News and World Report, Sierra, Wired, Outside, National Public Radio, and many other venues.[4] His investigative reporting took him to five continents, often to remote locations like Burma, Rwanda, Laos, Guatemala and Tajikistan.[5] One of his dispatches, on Burmese democracy efforts, was read into the Congressional Record.[6] Fine won numerous awards for his radio reporting from rural Alaska before he moved to New Mexico.[7]

Not Really An Alaskan Mountain Man

In an experiment to see if someone raised in suburban consumer culture could manage a comfortable life in an extremely rural situation, Fine moved to a remote part of Alaska in the winter of 1998. The result was his first book, Not Really An Alaskan Mountain Man, published by Alaska Northwest Books, an imprint of Graphic Arts Center Publishing. As Fine works to hone what he calls his "Indigenous Gene,"[3] the book is a document of wilderness adventure as Fine learns how to live in a one-room cabin surrounded by moose and "non-liberals."[3]

Farewell, My Subaru

Fine's second book, Farewell, My Subaru, was published March 24, 2009 by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House. The book documents life at Fine's Funky Butte Ranch. It became a bestseller and is now in its seventh printing, with Chinese and Korean language editions.[8] Fine's challenges in the book come from dealing with his mischievous goats, setting up his Funky Butte Ranch's solar power system, converting his used truck to run on vegetable oil, and growing his ranch's own crops.[9]

Farewell, My Subaru's critical acclaim in national and international media includes comparisons to Bill Bryson and Douglas Adams,[10] landing Fine television interviews on CNN[11] and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[12]

Too High to Fail

Fine's third book, Too High to Fail: Cannabis and the New Green Economic Revolution, was published by Gotham Books, an imprint of Penguin Group, on August 2, 2012.[13] Pre-publication reviews included a starred Kirkus Reviews review reading in part, "Fine examines how the American people have borne the massive economic and social expenditures of the failed Drug War, which is "as unconscionably wrong for America as segregation and DDT." A captivating, solidly documented work rendered with wit and humor."[14] Fine began promoting the book with an appearance on the Conan O'Brien show on July 25, 2012. Three weeks after publication, Too High to Fail debuted at #2 on the Denver Post bestseller list.[15]

Personal life

Fine lives on the solar-powered Funky Butte Ranch, where he is a columnist for New Mexico Magazine.[16]

Works
  • Not Really An Alaskan Mountain Man (2004)
  • Farewell, My Subaru (2008)
  • Too High to Fail (2012)
  • "American Hemp Farmer" (2020)
gollark: I read about some other company trying to make newer supersonic planes, hopefully that goes somewhere.
gollark: Ah yes, very expensive time zone hacks.
gollark: I suppose they work as a more obvious reminder, though? Some people have (generally software-based) clock things which constantly count down life expectancy or something, which seems like a great way to generate existential crises.
gollark: You're always slightly aging, and can worry about *that* instead of specifically birthdays, until someone comes up with really good life-extension or immortality.
gollark: I had mine last month. It's not like you age suddenly one year at a time, though.

References
  1. "Doug Fine, Journalist, New Mexico". smithsonianmag.com. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  2. "Doug Fine: Author of Farewell, My Subaru talks to WW about green ranching, veggie-powered monster trucks, and the mystique of goat ice cream". wweek.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-24. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  3. "About The Author". Alaska Northwest Books. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  4. "Interview: Author Doug Fine". blog.oregonlive.com. Oregonian. 2008-04-17. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  5. Staci Matlock (March 25, 2008). "Writer finds funny side to carbon-light life". Santa Fe New Mexican. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  6. "RMSS Featured Speakers". University of Denver. Archived from the original on 2010-10-04. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  7. "Alaska Press Club Awards 2003". alaskapressclub.org. Alaska Press Club. Archived from the original on 2011-01-24. Retrieved 2010-12-29.
  8. Concannon, Jim (2009-08-28). "Paperback nonfiction bestsellers, Aug. 30 - Sept. 5". boston.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  9. "Meet Doug Fine, Sustainable Superman". takepart.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  10. "News and Reviews (And Media Appearances)". dougfine.com. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
  11. "Doug Fine on CNN". Cable News Network. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  12. "RMSS Featured Speakers". University of Denver. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  13. "Bio". dougfine.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2012-19-16. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. "Too High to Fail, By Doug Fine". Kirkus Book Reviews. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  15. "Business best sellers: "Topgrading" tops list". Denver Post. 2012-08-26. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  16. "Greener Acres, by Doug Fine, the Carbon-Neutral Cowboy". nmmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-09. Retrieved 2010-12-28.
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