After working as a reporter in Washington, D.C., Washington state and eastern Idaho, Mike Barenti earned an MFA in creative writing from Eastern Washington University in 2003. “Sunbeam,” an excerpt from his book, Kayaking Alone: Nine Hundred Miles from Idaho’s Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Ascent. For more information about the book, visit www.mikebarenti.com.