Author Dayton Duncan will present "How Lewis and Clark Wrote Their Way Across America, and Into Immortality" on Thursday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m., in Kirner-Johnson Auditorium. He will cover topics addressed in his books, including his latest, Scenes of Visionary Enchantment: Reflections on Lewis & Clark. The lecture is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Hamilton College's Writing Center, the dean of faculty, the department of history and the American studies program.
Hamilton Professor of History Maurice Isserman, who is teaching a class on Lewis and Clark, said: "One of the reasons we remember Lewis and Clark today is because they were, in the words of historian Donald Jackson, the 'writingest explorers,' turning out over a half million words recounting their exploration in their journals between 1804 and 1806. Meriwether Lewis in particular was a fine writer, whose journal entries convey the excitement of being instrumental in the discovery of new lands and new peoples."
In 1997, Duncan wrote and co-produced Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, a four-hour documentary that attained the second-highest ratings in the history of PBS. He has been involved for many years with the work of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. He was a consultant on Burns' award-winning series for public television, The Civil War and Baseball, and was co-writer and consulting producer for a 12-hour series about the history of the American West which won the Erik Barnouw Award from the Organization of American Historians. Duncan's most recent project with Burns, Horatio Drive, is another historical documentary about the first transcontinental automobile trip.
Duncan has authored nine books. His book Out West: A Journey Through Lewis & Clark's America chronicles his retracing of the Lewis and Clark trail. This book was listed as a Book-of-the-Month Club alternate selection, as well as a finalist for the Western Writers of America's Spur Award. His books for younger readers, People of the West and The West: An Illustrated History for Children, have been acclaimed by the National Council of Social Studies and the Children's Book Council, The New Yorker magazine and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His new book, Scenes of Visionary Enchantment: Reflections on Lewis & Clark, will be on sale at this event.
When not producing or writing, Duncan has been involved with politics. He served as chief of staff to New Hampshire Gov. Hugh Gallen, as well as the deputy national press secretary for Walter Mondale's presidential campaign in 1984. Four years later, he served as national press secretary for Michael Dukakis's 1988 presidential campaign.
