River guide's memories sail into book

It's not often that a person under the age of 50, or even 40, has had enough experiences to write a memoir. But Sarahlee Lawrence isn't like most people.

As a child living in remote central Oregon, Lawrence dreamed of finding adventure outside of her small town. It's a goal she achieved early, becoming an accomplished river guide by the age of 21.

Everything about running rivers appeals to Lawrence, who included a long list of things while talking to the Deseret News. "I love rivers," she said. "I love going wherever the river takes me. I love river people. I care about river issues. I like remote, rugged places. I like traveling. I like learning languages and immersing myself in cultures."

But Lawrence quickly discovered running rivers as a guide and an advocate isn't all there is to life. Traveling the world left Lawrence feeling placeless, like she needed to root herself. She needed a home that she could both leave and come back to.

"I was running rivers with people who spent their lives running rivers," Lawrence said. "And I saw in them, people in their 30s and 40s, people who ran rivers their whole lives, who love the river and would never really give it up. But they definitely had a hole where a home should have been. … And I didn't want to be like that."

So Lawrence came home to her family's land in Oregon and built a log house — by hand — with the help of her father. She also returned to school, earning a master's in environmental science and writing from the University of Montana.

It was during school that Lawrence got the idea to write a book, something she had never really considered before. Lawrence has kept journals her whole life. Writing and looking for words, she said, is how she processes her life. Her book, "River House" was published in October, and Lawrence will be in Salt Lake City at the King's English on Saturday afternoon to discuss it.

Lawrence's first real writing class came in the form of a nature essay class during her undergraduate studies, and she really loved it. "It was fun to take stories and my experience in the world and turn it into something more than a journal entry," she said. "To actually take some stories and moments that I had recorded and actually think about them and make more sense with them."

When Lawrence returned to school for her graduate degree, she continued writing about her adventures around the world. Along the way, her writing developed into a long thesis, a collection of essays that a professor encouraged her to send to publishing houses.