In his new book “Back Cast: Fly Fishing and Other Such Matters” Jeff Metcalf writes: “These waters have been my home, and I fish them more than most. In truth, they have saved my life on more than a few occasions. I seek refuge in the quiet solitude of rivers, and in dark hours of my life—including this particular year—I need desperately to be fly-fishing." Metcalf’s play “A Slight Discomfort,” is a humorous take on his battle with prostate cancer. And a previous award-winning collection of essays, “Requiem for the Living,” resulted from a challenge Metcalf gave himself when presented with a dire prognosis with his cancer: writing one essay each week for a year. Metcalf volunteers with Reel Recovery, an organization that conducts retreats for men living with cancer. He says that it’s important for men to learn to talk about their cancers and their lives.
Jeff Metcalf is a professor of English at the University of Utah and has been the recipient of numerous awards. His fiction and essays have appeared in local and national magazines and his most recent play, “A Slight Discomfort,” has been widely staged in both the United States and Europe. His first collection of essays, “Requiem for the Living,” was the winner of the 2012 Utah Division of Arts and Museums Original Writing Competition.