Marty Essen

Jan 17, 2025 | kirkusreviews.com | Marty Essen |Janet Evanovich |Kathy Reichs

Essen presents a novel about two septuagenarians intent on changing the world in an unconventional way. Barry Swanson, a 70-year-old widower, moves into Blue Loon Village, a senior living center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the insistence of his daughter. He’s not entirely ready to give up on living an active life, but he’s also not one to rock the boat. His attitude changes, though, when he discovers that his old high school girlfriend, Beth, is living in the same residence.

Dec 23, 2024 | ravallirepublic.com | Marty Essen

In response to GOP state representative Greg Overstreet’s guest column, (Big Sky Voices, Dec. 21) “Our legislators are just like you,” I must say that none of the Republicans mentioned in his column are in any way like me. A job doesn’t make a person. Instead, it’s a person’s integrity and ability to make decisions based on reality that matter.

Aug 13, 2024 | flatheadbeacon.com | Marty Essen

For years, Republicans have claimed to be the party of Christians while behaving the opposite of Christ. This year, they’ve outdone that hypocrisy by claiming to be the Law and Order Party while picking Donald Trump, a convicted felon and adjudicated sexual assaulter and fraudster, as their presidential candidate. Here in Montana, virtually every Republican politician and party leader appearing on newspaper opinion pages writes about the dangers of criminals crossing our southern border.

Jul 3, 2024 | missoulian.com | Marty Essen

In books and the media, I frequently satirize right-wing Christianity. My reason for doing so is because that version of Christianity is the only religion Americans use like a club to impose itself on those who believe differently. Examples of this include overturning Roe v. Wade, book bans, forcing itself on public schools, bigotry toward the LGTBQ community, and the damage inflicted to the environment, human rights, and democracy by right-wing Christian champion and convicted felon, Donald Trump.

Feb 6, 2024 | helenair.com | Marty Essen

I found Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy’s statewide guest column to be quite informative. Before reading it, I knew little about him other than, like me, he moved from the Twin Cities metropolitan area to Montana. The main difference being that I moved here in 1996, and he moved here in 2014.