This episode first aired on May 6, 2025.
In this episode, we talk with Mark Sundeen about his book "Delusions and Grandeur: Dreamers of the New West." Mark Sundeen is the author, previously, of "The Unsettlers," "The Man Who Quit Money," "The Making of Toro," and "Car Camping." And in these new and selected essays, he recounts two decades of political activism, outdoor exploration, and curiosity. What brings the book’s themes into focus is the cast of idiosyncratic people he meets. Using first-person reportage, storytelling, and humor, his observations illustrate what everyday life is like for people in the contemporary American West.
Mark Sundeen has won fellowships from Macdowell Colony, Montello Foundation, Montana Arts Council, and Utah Arts Council. A contributing editor for Outside Magazine, his work has appeared in the New York Times, The Believer, National Geographic Adventure, McSweeneys, and Best American Essays. Sundeen was raised in Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, California. He held the Russo Chair in Creative Writing at the University of New Mexico, and now teaches at the University of Montana.
