The Key Peninsula floats quietly through time in Puget Sound but exists more like an island in the hearts of her residents. Descendants of the first peoples and pioneers mingle with newcomers washed ashore from distant cities in these stories of small town life in a community too small to have a town. Young homeowners grapple with the depredations of heartsick woodpeckers. Anarchist loggers nail indignant poems to roadside trees. Shamanic gardeners work to heal a damaged world one lawn at a time. Deceptively simple stories with deep feeling.
Ted has been writing about life along the shores of Puget Sound for over 30 years.
Ted Olinger: Author, Journalist, Editor
In this debut collection of short stories, Olinger uses wit and warmth to weave a picture of rural life that is both charming and moving. Much like the roads on the peninsula, the stories meander, but all are linked. The Key Peninsula is painted so evocatively that it's almost a character itself — wet, dirty and beautiful in its solitude. Olinger draws from his life on the peninsula to create a collection that is humorous and, at times, heartbreaking.
— Kirkus Reviews
While "The Woodpecker Menace" surely contains keenly etched details of Puget Sound rusticity — the taste of moonshine, the remedy for moles, the way to toss a fish — there is also quiet profundity. Each of these stories works alone, but midway through the book, as some of the characters reappear, you'll realize you're going to be haunted by them long after you close the covers. Rich in symbolism and metaphor, you'll want to read these stories again and again.
— Barbara Lloyd McMichael, The Bellingham Herald
The writing gets into your pores and reminds you of the trials and pleasures of life. Parents die, marriages fail, parents abuse their children, yet life continues and offers comfort through the small things, like the crow who says “hello” to you, or the woodpecker who won’t stop drumming his message on your roof. Through it all, the wisdom gathered from observing nature and humans reassures the reader that we are all joined by our common purpose, which is to live the best we can. Wonderful work.
— Writer’s Digest
Beautifully illustrated with scrawly, inkblot style drawings from whimsically-named local artist Tweed Meyer, Ted Olinger has managed something rare and magical — to capture not only his own life in miniature, but that of the environment around him, in rich, deep language and poetic writing. There's something of Hemingway's boating tales that's not lost on me, and Olinger triumphs here. His knowledge of sailing and nature really do dig deep for the reader and communicate from print to the imagination in ways most writers never touch.
— Catherine Tosko, SP Reviews
Ted Olinger's Portfolio
Column: Flower Blood Moon
After becoming the first person to row from mainland North America to Asia, Erden Eruç ended his journey around the world for lack of a visa.
Book Review: ‘When the Emperor Was Divine’ by Julie Otsuka
This high school staple was banned on the 80th anniversary of the World War II internment of Japanese Americans that it eloquently describes.
A retired truck driver from Lakebay volunteers to help abandoned animals and hungry people in Ukraine.
Returning to normal life after the pandemic.
I rise early this time of year, too early, because a woodpecker starts the day banging its head against the side of my house. What at first I took to be gunshots or a jackhammer when we moved out here is a Northern Flicker declaring his love for his territory, his mate, and our siding.
Book Review: 'The Violence Project' — Mass Shootings Are Preventable
She was a counselor in a middle school of about 700 students. One morning a seventh-grader walked into her office. She had spoken to him for the first time the day before because she’d noticed his anxious behavior, but he didn’t say much.
This morning was different. He pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and extra magazines full of ammunition. He said he wanted to kill his classmates and be killed while doing it.
“I came to you because I think you’re the only one who can talk me out of it.”
Column: After the Storm
I was a university sophomore in New York City in the fall of 1982. There was a girl in my art history class who stood out as particularly smart, attractive and friendly in the way people are who have nothing to hide and nothing to prove.
I had little to do with her besides comparing notes from time to time, but then some change occurred. She became decidedly less friendly, not just to me but to everyone. She spoke less and less, and she altered her appearance. Then she stopped showing up.
About Ted Olinger
Ted Olinger is a journalist and author with a passion for writing about life along the shores of Puget Sound. With a keen eye for detail and a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the region and its people, Ted's articles and books provide readers with a glimpse into the unique character of this stunning part of the world.
Ted sailed into Vaughn Bay one sunny day in April 2004 and never left. He has been writing about life on the shores of Puget Sound since 1991. His work has appeared in Canoe & Kayak, House magazine, Wetdawg.com, and other local and national periodicals.
He has won numerous awards for his work, including ten statewide awards from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association for his reporting, and the Foreword Review literary prize for his 2013 book of short stories about the Key Peninsula, “The Woodpecker Menace.”
Ted was hired by the Key Peninsula News in 2009 as a reporter and became executive editor in 2016. He now assists part-time as an associate editor. He lives in Vaughn with his family, a fleet of half-built boats, and a rotating cast of dogs.
Read more of Ted's work at:
Get in touch
Have a question or comment? Drop me a line and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
ted@tedolingerauthor.net