Walt Christie

Walt Christie is an author of fiction and nonfiction based in Brunswick, Maine. He draws inspiration from the intricate detail of nature, which is reflected in both his writing and his photography. His first memoir, “Rising Above the Wave: Surviving Tsunami and Stroke in Japan 2011” is set to be published in 2015.

Walt was born in Bangor and raised in Aroostook County. As a child he worked on his family’s potato farm. He later attended Bowdoin College where he majored in English Literature and minored in History. Between his junior and senior years he and four friends drove an old truck across the country and up the Alcan into Alaska. The trip was a transformative experience, and Walt returned to Bowdoin ready to go the medical school.

He attended Temple University School of Medicine and received honors in Psychiatry. After an internship at Maine Medical Center he served a residency at the University of Michigan for two years and then returned for the Chief Residency at Maine Medical Center. Walt was a Lt. Cmdr in the Second Marine Division at Camp Lejeune for two years and then returned in 1974 to become Director of Residency Training and Research at Maine Medical Center.

During his time at Maine Medical Center Walt was director of two more divisions, Inpatient and Outpatient, and served as Assistant Chief of the Department. All the time he longed to write, and in 1988 Walt obtained an MFA in Writing from Vermont College. However, writing was not compatible with full time work, so he put it aside and continued to work in psychiatry until he retired in 2011.

Walt enjoys writing very much, and also volunteers as a docent at the Eastern Cemetery in Portland and the Joshua Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick. During the winter he is also a docent at the Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College.

Walt is married to Ellie, a wonderful woman, who serves as a reader for his writing. Together they have five children and nine grandchildren, who keep him up to date.