Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 2003

Contacts: K. D. Kragen

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On Sunday afternoon, 18 May 2003, from 2:30 to 4:30 PM, at Mitzel's Restaurant, in Poulsbo, Washington, there was a book signing honoring the publication of Dwight Droz's now-complete series Culture On The Cuff. A joint production of Scandia Patch Press, Lightning Source and Ingram Books, the four-volume series marks a high point in the life work of local author Dwight R. Droz. This grand opera of twentieth century Americana, eight years in the making, is available both in print and in the latest audio book MP3 format. Special thanks to George Comeau, the marvelous manager of Mitzel's, for so graciously hosting the event.

Dwight Droz turned 90 in December 2002, but is still farming and writing. Having completed his masterwork series Culture On The Cuff, Mr. Droz is already putting together a new book of short stories and poetry, tentatively titled The Midnight Poet, with the lead piece "Dining at Mitzel's."

Culture On The Cuff is a unique collection of writings, part autobiography, part character sketches and history, replete with anecdotes, short stories and poetry, and peopled with outlaws, immigrant settlers, Indians, Gypsies, explorers, and a host of nature's wonders. A history of one small piece of rural American farming in the first half of the twentieth century, this series also chronicles the stories of such diverse individuals as Jack Simplot, one of the richest and most successful business tycoons in the world, E. Haldeman-Julius, entrepreneur, eccentric, and publisher of the "Little Blue Books," William Butler, convict and inventor of the most imaginative barb wire in history, and William L. Evens, showman, promoter, and purported owner of the body of John Wilkes Booth.

Born in 1912 of French-speaking Swiss parents, Dwight Droz was just a few years old when his family traveled to Cotteral, Idaho, in a Studebaker covered wagon in 1915. Mr. Droz writes from intimate experience with the dry land and the horse and wagon, and the desperation of poor farming families tenuously homesteaded to poor farming land. Partly through a crippling injury at age four, partly through the innate artist's eye for human detail and emotion, Mr. Droz's accounts of the people of southern Idaho are filled with insight, compassion, wit and humor.

Growing up in the Depression years, Mr. Droz was featured as "The Idaho Poet" on a state-wide network of radio stations. In 1938 he married Edith "Pauline" Schwartz, and during the Second World War they moved to Bremerton where Mr. Droz worked as an employment counselor for the state. Retiring in the late 1960s, the Drozs started a small ten-acre farm in Kitsap County which became known throughout the area as "Scandia Patch." There, for thirty years, Dwight and Pauline grew some of Western Washington's finest fruits and vegetables, hosted annual "pumpkin patch events" for local school children, and became a beloved institution of our community. Six years ago they retired from farming and published their first book, One for the Weather, One for the Crow, an anecdotal history of Scandia Patch and the settling of the community of Scandia back to the days when the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet plied the waters between turn-of-the-century Seattle and points west. Mr. Droz's second book, Arizona Bound, features his poetry and the drawings of local artist Annie Campbell, whose public art has promoted the Scandinavian theme throughout Poulsbo.

Reviewer's copies of Culture on the Cuff are available upon request from Scandia Patch Press.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 2001

Contacts: K. D. Kragen

New Work by Local Writer Dwight Droz Introduced at Book Signing

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On Sunday afternoon, 1 July 2001, from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, at Checkers Espresso and Gallery in Poulsbo, WA, there was a book signing honoring the publication of Dwight Droz's third book, Culture On The Cuff: Declo Days And Other Tall Tales. A joint production of Scandia Patch Press, Lightning Source and Ingram Books, this new work of Mr. Droz's is the first of a four-volume series.

Culture On The Cuff is a unique collection of writings, part autobiography, part character sketches and history, replete with anecdotes, short stories and poetry, and peopled with outlaws, immigrant settlers, American Indians, Gypsies, explorers, and a host of nature's wonders and wildlife. It is the history of one small piece of rural American farming community in the first half of this century. But it also chronicles the stories of men and women as diverse in character and experience as America is diverse across its seething population. On the one hand this book is regional fiction and history. On the other hand, it echoes those universals of human experience, thinking and longing, and touches on questions basic to every age and people. What is our place in nature? How can the individual fit into community and remain the individual human seeking some meaning for life? How can people be good, yet so foolish? What turns a person bad?

Born in 1912 of French-speaking Swiss parents, Dwight Droz was just a few years old when his family traveled to Cotteral, Idaho, in a Studebaker covered wagon in 1915. Mr. Droz writes from intimate experience with the dry land and the horse and wagon, and the desperation of poor farming families tenuously homesteaded to poor farming land. Partly through a crippling injury at age four, partly through the innate artist's eye for human detail and emotion, Mr. Droz's accounts of the people of southern Idaho are filled with insight and compassion and a lot of wit and humor.

Growing up in the Depression years, Mr. Droz was featured as "The Idaho Poet" on a state-wide network of radio stations. In 1938 he married Edith "Pauline" Schwartz, and during the Second World War they moved to Bremerton, Washington, where Mr. Droz eventually worked as an employment counselor for the state. Upon retiring in the late 1960's, he and Pauline started a small five-acre farm in Kitsap County, which became known throughout the area as "Scandia Patch." There, for the last thirty years, Dwight and Pauline grew some of Western Washington's finest fruits and vegetables, hosted annual "pumpkin patch events" for local school children, and became a beloved institution of their community. Three years ago they retired from farming and published their first book, One for the Weather, One for the Crow, an anecdotal history of Scandia Patch and the settling of the community of Scandia back to the days when the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet plied the waters between turn-of-the-century Seattle and points wst. Mr. Droz's second book, Arizona Bound, features his poetry and the artwork of local artist and Poulsbo institution Annie Campbell.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - July 1999

Contacts: K. D. Kragen

Local Artist Honored at Book Signing

Many people may not recognize the name Annie Campbell, but they have undoubtedly enjoyed her artwork.From the sign on the front of Sluys

12.09.2006.