Author and attorney Michael Punke is set to address Montana State University’s First Year Student Convocation, an event welcoming new students to campus. Punke, known for his bestselling novel “The Revenant” and the nonfiction book “Fire and Brimstone,” will speak to the incoming class on Tuesday.
Punke’s first novel, “The Revenant,” reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was later adapted into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio that won multiple Academy Awards in 2015.
Originally from Torrington, Wyoming, Punke holds degrees from George Washington University and Cornell Law School. His career includes more than three decades in public policy, such as serving as U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Switzerland between 2010 and 2017. He has also worked with the U.S. Senate, White House National Security Council, and National Economic Council. Currently, he is vice president for global public policy at Amazon Web Services and lives in Missoula with his wife Traci and their two adult children.
In advance of his visit, Punke discussed his writing process, thoughts on Western history, and advice for new college students with MSU News.
When asked about his book “Fire and Brimstone,” which was assigned reading for incoming MSU students this year, Punke said: “In 2003, Traci and I moved our family to Montana. I wanted to take a crack at writing nonfiction, and I wanted a story about Montana so that I could do the research locally. I read everything I could get my hands on about Montana history, and all roads seemed to lead to Butte.
The story that I found became ‘Fire and Brimstone.’ It had all the elements of the type of story that I love. It’s about the West, albeit a part of Western history – industrial mining – that tends to get less focus. Ithas a compelling and dramatic adventure at its core: the story of the North Butte Disaster of 1917, when a mine fire broke out, trapping hundreds of miners thousands of feet below ground. One hundred and sixty-eight men would die in what is still the worst hard-rock mining disaster in American history.
It’s about the history of an era not unlike our own – with deep divisions that rocked the state and the nation. And it’s about a remarkable place, a place that many of us speed past on Interstate 90, a place called Butte.”
Regarding whether having “The Revenant” adapted into an Academy Award-winning film changed his approach to storytelling or writing process, Punke said: “One of the fun things about having ‘The Revenant’ made into a movie was that it brought lots of new readers to my books. But I have always been drawn to stories that are ‘cinematic’ – adventure stories with intense human drama and contemporary themes.”
On how his careers as author and lawyer influence each other: “For me, there is actually lots of overlap between the books I write and the policy work I do. For example, some of the most pointed lessons about politics that I ever learned, I learned doing research about Butte.”
Asked what advice he would give incoming students starting their higher education journey at MSU this fall: “Some of the most profound lessons come from people that history has mostly overlooked – or forgotten. We tend to think of the times in which we live as uniquely challenging. After all, the past is distant and abstract. I don’t want to understate the significance of today’s challenges. But our ancestors confronted their own versions of those challenges, and we can learn from them. I think we can and should take comfort from the fact that our ancestors have faced enormous challenges – and found ways to prevail.
As you consider your future, it’s great to have a broad sense of direction and purpose. But fasten your seat belt and expect to encounter the unexpected. Challenge yourself continually with hard questions. Remember that the occasional failure is part of the trajectory toward success. When it happens, learn from failure. Adapt your plan and move on.
In the face of anger and division in today’s world we need strength of character to reject that anger…We need to think ourselves not by attributes that divide us but as fellow citizens…classmates.”
Punke named Jack London’s “Call of The Wild” and Charles Portis’s “True Grit” among other favorite books alongside earlier picks like Larry McMurtry’s “Lonesome Dove” and Norman Maclean’s “A River Runs Through It.” In his free time he enjoys hiking daily with his dog and fishing when possible.
On defining success for himself after careers spanning public service lawyering and creative writing he said: “That’s a tough one because I think definition should be different for everyone…I want make living doing something love—and hopefully makes world better place.”
He shared plans for upcoming projects including screenplays set in Montana and Wyoming.
