Author and Professor Ana Maria Spagna will present “PUSHED” for the next WVC Speaks Lecture Series event on Thursday, Nov. 19. The public is invited to this free performance at 6 p.m. in the Music and Art Center’s Grove Recital Hall on the Wenatchee campus.
“PUSHED" is centered around Spagna's 2023 book "Pushed: Miners, a Merchant, and (Maybe) a Massacre." One day in 1875, according to lore, a large number of Chinese miners—perhaps as many as three hundred—were murdered, their bodies pushed over a cliff into the Columbia River. Spagna will describe her research into the event including encounters with historians, archaeologists, Indigenous elders, and migrant workers. She will explore the rich history of Chinese immigrants in North Central Washington and compare their experiences with contemporary immigrant communities.
Spagna will also discuss the upcoming launch of her new book, “Coiled: Essays on Urgency and Kinship,” which will be released this fall by Bison Books.
Spagna teaches English at WVC. Her previous books include "Uplake: Restless Essays of Coming and Going," about her many years living in Stehekin at the north end of Lake Chelan; "Test Ride on the Sunnyland Bus," winner of the River Teeth literary nonfiction prize; "100 Skills You’ll Need for the End of the World (as We Know It)," a humor-infused exploration of how to live more lightly on the planet; as well as a middle-grade novel, "The Luckiest Scar on Earth"; and a poetry chapter, "Mile Marker Six." Spagna's work has been recognized by the Society for Environmental Journalists and as a four-time finalist for the Washington State Book Award. She is also a faculty advisor for Mirror Northwest, WVC's literary and arts journal.
WVC Speaks began in 2015 and was held annually through 2019. Originally held in the afternoons, the series brought faculty, staff, and students together to develop an appreciation for a variety of disciplines and to share perspectives. The series returned in 2025-2026 to welcome our wider community to learn and connect with faculty, staff, and students. Learn more at WVC Speaks.
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November 5, 2026
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Marcine Miller, Executive Director, Public Information Office, 509-682-6582, mmiller2@wvc.edu