Stories & Books
Diz Swift
Montana, geology, Peace Corps, climate change, coma and recovery – all come together in stories of love, failure and success, courage, and fun.
Selected Stories
Grandma and Grandpa
My Grandmother, my father’s mother, was from Tennessee, and had all the earthiness of a hillbilly with a kindness and twinkle built in. I didn’t see her often, since we lived in Montana and the trip to Tennessee took four days of hard driving, but we made the most of...
Wildlife Field Work
We were up before dawn and, still sleepy, went down to the mess hall for breakfast with the Forest Service logging crew. Everything you’ve heard about loggers’ breakfasts is true. We had platters of eggs with pools of butter, bacon, sausages, and pancakes in stacks...
The Pollywog Pond
I don’t remember everything about the summers of my childhood, but I do remember some wonderful highlights. Like the pollywog pond… “Hey Carol! Let’s go ride our bikes to the pollywog pond!” Carol was my sister, older by more than two years – a big kid, but my best...
Author
Diz Swift
I’m a Montana kid. My Montana roots go back to the late 1800s with pioneers, farmers, ranchers, miners, engineers and businesspeople. I grew up with independence and self-reliance; I was taught to figure things out for myself.
Right out of college I was in the Peace Corps in southern Chile for two tours (see Between the Winds), then went on to get my PhD in geology. I worked for a major oil and gas company for my career where I met my husband. Twenty months after our marriage he was hit by a bus, suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) throwing him into a coma. As one of the physicians said about TBI recovery, “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.” It took years, but we made it to a happy life together – family, friends, traveling, concerts, dinners, and so much more. I had to grieve the man I lost and come to love the man he became. I’m telling that story in Patience, Chocolate, and Pussycats, a title he came up with.
Climate change became my passion after I retired, and I studied, advocated and lectured on that for several years. I have finally figured out how to live life and am enjoying the best part of it now. There is so much life to live, and beauty to behold. I’m lucky, and very, very grateful.
Oh yeah. And I love pussycats.
Coming Soon!
Available Fall 2026
Between the Winds
Non-Fiction
Between the Winds is a story of rapid growth during a time of turmoil. It’s a story of joy found in odd places, of outdoor treks, adventures with wildlife, and adapting to a new culture – all in the constant winds at the southern tip of the continent.
With a scientist’s eye for astute observation, an astonishing memory for detail, and a vocabulary to match, Diz Swift’s prose draws us into her odysseys with all the sensory stimulation as if we were there, participating in the various adventures of her life journey.