The Year of the Bear by Douglas J. Lanzo

As a writer blessed to have my award-winning, debut coming of age novel, The Year of the Bear, nominated for the John Newbery Medal and to have published 293 inspirational poems in 64 literary journals and anthologies around the globe, I am honored to share some thoughts on my journey and inspiration. 

Prior to the Pandemic, I had published very modestly perhaps a dozen poems in various Church publications and only a single poem in a truly professional literary journal.  Less than three years later, I have published a warmly received, Newbery-nominated novel endorsed by a NYTimes bestselling author as well as 293 poems published in 57 literary journals, including the second largest print newspaper in the world, and 7 poetry anthologies, many of which were bestsellers, on 5 continents. 

What brought about this incredible proliferation? I found a voice, a gracious and undeserved gift, and, like one of my childhood heroes, simply trusted God to help me find the literary vessels to carry them to readers globally.  This childhood hero is none other than Eric Liddell, the great Scottish missionary and runner whose principled refusal to run an Olympic 100-meter race on a Sunday was chronicled in Chariots of Fire.  His tremendous faith, courage, and use of his gifts for God’s glory helped inspire not only my writing career but my record-setting high school running career and my realized aspiration to become a Division 1 varsity, cross-country scholar-athlete at Harvard College. 

I published The Year of the Bear at the urging of my twin sons, one of whom even cried during its most touching scene.  Inspired by magical days of fishing, exploration, and adventure growing up on a pond-laced tract of forested farmland in rural Connecticut that teemed with wildlife, this authentic novel was written from my heart and soul and has received glowing endorsements from many incredibly accomplished endorsers. Among them are NYTimes Bestselling Author and Emmy-Winning Executive Producer of The Daily Show, Josh Lieb, acclaimed author and world-renowned poet, Scott Mason, and distinguished pastors, nationally recognized athletes and coaches, selfless community leaders, and very importantly, several authors and reviewers who are Native Americans.  Given the central role of a Penobscot Indian mentor in this powerful coming of age story,  I was touched and humbled that the Native American authors and reviewers praised TYOTB for doing “a great job of demonstrating respect for Penobscot culture” with one even comparing it to “The Call of the Wild” and me to “a modern Jack London.” 

I was likewise swept away by the effusive words of my haiku poet mentor, Scott Mason, who wrote: “The Year of the Bear tells a coming-of-age story, its action seamlessly interwoven with moments of indigenous wisdom, personal discovery, and universal truth. If the immediate experience is cinematic, its aftereffect is inspirational. A compelling and uplifting work.”

My novel brings to the reader the majesty of Mount Katahdin, the northernmost terminus of the Appalachian trails and the first mountain peak on which the sun shines each day.  In the engraved words of former Governor and philanthropist Percival Baxter, who purchased and then generously donated Katahdin’s environs as Baxter State Park to the people of Maine:

“Man is born to die. His works are short-lived. Buildings crumble, monuments decay, and wealth vanishes, but Katahdin in all its glory forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine.”

In a divided society where a return to rational discourse sometimes feels like waiting for Godot, my novel appeals to the nobler side of human nature.  It immerses readers as active participants in a universal story, the struggle of characters seeking to define who they are and what they stand for, as readers meld with them, experiencing their triumphs and tragedies as their very own. 

To achieve this effect required an authenticity that resonates with readers, connecting to the core of who and what they are.  As an author, it is at once an incredibly rewarding and exhilarating yet responsible mission – one that requires sincerity, transparency, and vulnerability – openly sharing convictions, emotions and aspirations of the characters in order to recognize universal truths that brighten the lives of readers and their loved ones around the world. 

In the words of Reverend Doctor Cheryl Tatham of North Chevy Chase Church, The Year of the Bear “connects the expanse of nature and human emotion at a level of intensity that carries the reader deep into the lives of its characters.”  I hope that you, too, open your hearts, minds, and souls to The Year of the Bear and immerse yourself in an exhilarating journey along the way…

An award-winning author and poet, Doug’s debut novel, The Year of the Bear, placed
2^nd in the Firebird Award’s Coming of Age Category and has been nominated for the Newbery, Selah and Illumination Awards and endorsed by a NYTimes bestselling author.  Doug resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife and twin son haiku poets, enjoying nature, tennis, fishing and chess.  Doug is also the author of 293 poems published in 64 journals and bestselling anthologies in the US, Canada, Caribbean, England, Wales, Austria, Mauritius, India, Japan and Australia. His Author website is located at www.douglaslanzo.com.

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