265. Cory Richards with Marcus Harrison Green: A Climber's Quest for Heights and Healing

Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series

Growing up in the mountains of Utah, Cory Richards was constantly surrounded by the outdoors and was taught how to ski, climb, mountaineer, and survive in the wild. Despite a seemingly idyllic childhood, the Richards home was fraught with violence, grief, and mental illness. After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and dropping out of high school, Richards subsumed himself in the worlds of photography and climbing, seeking out the farthest reaches of the world to escape the darkness. Then, in the midst of a wildly successful career in adventure photography, a catastrophic avalanche changed everything, forcing Richards to confront the trauma of his past, evaluate his own mental health, and learn to rewrite his story.

In his new book, The Color of Everything, Richards recounts his adventures of climbing and the thrill of chasing summits, as well as his tumultuous life off the mountains. Accompanied by photos from his career, Richards’ memoir captures the musings of an unquiet mind grappling with success, the cost of fame and addiction, and what it takes to excavate the roots of trauma and climb out.

Cory Richards is an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker, and author of the memoir The Color of Everything. He is the first and only American to climb one of the world’s 8000m peaks in winter. His documentation of the climb and aftermath of the experience was made into the award-winning documentary COLD and appeared on the cover of the 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic. Richards is a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Photographer Fellow, and a two-time recipient of an Explorers Grant. He has photographed twelve feature assignments for the magazine. He has an active speaking career, in which he speaks about conservation, mental health, leadership, and vulnerability.

Marcus Harrison Green is a columnist for The Seattle Times. A long-time Seattle resident, he is the founder of the South Seattle Emerald, which focuses on telling the stories of South Seattle and its residents.

Buy the Book The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within

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