Author Talk presents Kirk McKnight Saturday, Nov. 1

Local author Kirk McKnight will be the presenter inside the Pioneer Community Center (125 Columbia St.) this Saturday, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. for the season's third installment of Author Talk. Presented by the Cathlamet Public Library, Author Talk features local area writers who have had their work published. McKnight's first book, "The Voices of Baseball: The Game's Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America's Pastime," was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2015. Providing a tour through baseball's ballparks and stadiums, both past and present, "The Voices of Baseball" features excerpts from interviews McKnight conducted with 50 play-by-play broadcasters, including Vin Scully, Bob Uecker, Bob Costas, Joe Buck, Tim McCarver, and Dick Enberg. In 2016, Rowman & Littlefield released McKnight's second book, "The Voices of Hockey: Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth." Having recently been re-released in audio format, "The Voices of Hockey" shares some of the sport's biggest and craziest moments from the perspectives of 65 NHL broadcasters, past and present, including Marv and Kenny Albert, Gary Thorne, Mike Lange, and Mike "Doc" Emrick. In 2019, McKnight tested the self-publishing waters with "Batting Clean: Why Dale Murphy Belongs in Baseball's Hall of Fame." The book, approximately a fourth the size of McKnight's previous works, argues the case for former Atlanta Braves outfielder, Portland native, and McKnight's childhood hero, Dale Murphy, to be enshrined into baseball's Hall of Fame. Former colleagues, including Hall of Fame Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox and TNT's Ernie Johnson, Jr., share their experiences coaching, broadcasting, and simply knowing Murphy. Prior to being bought out by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2024, Rowman & Littlefield released an updated edition of "The Voices of Baseball" in 2023. The book's updated edition not only provides more recent history from all 30 MLB teams but also includes a heartfelt tribute to the late Vin Scully courtesy of 36 broadcasters, past and present, from all major sports. Having interviewed 118 different broadcasters over his three books, McKnight plans to share stories from when the microphone was on and even a few from when it was off. Aside from his duties as editor for The Wahkiakum County Eagle, McKnight hosts @RedWingsDaily on YouTube, a daily segment dedicated to his favorite hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings. Copies of all of McKnight's works can be found in digital, print and audio format on Amazon.com.