On today’s show, we celebrate the life of Susan DeFreitas, who passed away two weeks ago at her home in Santa Fe, at the way-too-young age of 47. Susan was a much-loved member of the Portland writing community. All of us here, who felt blessed to know her, are heartbroken.
Susan was an author, poet, artist, storyteller, and a master book coach, one of the very best. You only need ask the many writers she inspired and guided to publication. She was dedicated to telling stories that are socially engaged, stories that matter, and helping others do the same. Her novel Hot Season won a Gold IPPY Award for Best Fiction of the Mountain West, and she was named “One of 25 Oregon Authors Every Oregonian Must Read,“ alongside writers like Cheryl Strayed, Chuck Palanhiuk, Willy Vlautin, and Ursula Le Guin.
Speaking of Ursula, Susan’s next book was Dispatches from Anarres: Tales in Tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin, from Portland’s Forest Avenue Press. Susan edited this collection of stories inspired by Le Guin’s life and work, with contributions from many of the Pacific Northwest’s top writers. I had the joy of speaking with Susan about Dispatches from Anarres in December 2021, shortly after the book’s release. We were joined by David Naimon, who wrote the book’s foreword and co-authored his own tribute to Ursula -- Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing. We’ll be playing that episode of Jonesy for you today, in Susan’s memory.
Susan is survived by her husband Daniel Timmons and son Calder, who was born in August 2023. The family set up a fundraiser to help with funeral and medical expenses, child care, and a college fund for Calder. If you’d like to contribute, you can do that on the family's GoFundMe page.
Now here from December 2021, our conversation with Susan and David.
- KBOO