Korby Lenker touts debut book at Chuckanut Radio Hour

One-time Bellingham musician Korby Lenker returns for a show Thursday, Jan. 28, but it’s not just a music gig.

Lenker is on a national tour promoting his first book, “Medium Hero,” a touching stream-of-consciousness collection of 27 short stories inspired by his life as a traveling musician.

He will be the guest author — and musician — at the Chuckanut Radio Hour at Whatcom Community College’s Heiner Center Theater.

Born and raised in Twin Falls, Idaho, Lenker founded the popular bluegrass Bellingham band The Barbed Wire Cutters. He left the Northwest in 2007 for Nashville after spending a couple of years in Seattle.

“I left for Nashville mostly because I loved touring and it’s hard to tour out of the Pacific Northwest,” says the composer, singer, guitarist and ukulele player. “It was a geographical decision first.

“In hindsight, I realize moving was the continuation of a theme of chasing inspiration. I moved to Bellingham from southern Idaho right out of high school because I wanted to do something scary and unfamiliar. I moved to Nashville for the same reason.”

The stories in his book have elements of sadness, hope, faith, despair and connection. Some of the themes, he says, probably have to do with growing up the son of a mortician and thus being around death a lot when he was a kid.

“I saw a lot of dead bodies; my dad treated it as something that wasn’t grotesque or weird, so it wasn’t — it was just a fact of life,” Lenker says. “That, plus going to church a bunch as a kid, makes you think about what it all means.”

“I’ve always wanted to be a professional writer, he says. “For one thing, my personality is better suited for the long periods of introversion required by the writing life. I like being alone and I feel most like myself when I am.”

He says he heavily edits his stories.

“That’s really where most of the work happens. I hope the stories feel like they’re written in white heat — because they are — but the difference between a good story and a great one is about 15 revisions.”

Lenker quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote, “Don’t be too squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”

“I read that a long time ago and thought it was good advice,” Lenker says. “I feel like — on a daily, weekly, yearly basis — I’m just trying things out.”

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Korby Lenker touts debut book at Chuckanut Radio Hour."