Valley 101

Well, not really. I did work with him back in the '80s and I discovered that he was a damn good writer and I wondered why he was the religion editor and/or an assistant city editor rather than a superstar columnist. But I didn't mention this to anybody, because who would have listened to me? These things tend to work themselves out in time, and I'm glad to see that this one did. Get the book, and anything else he writes.

I've been reading Clay Thompson's Valley 101 columns in The Arizona Republic for years now. I grew up in Phoenix, but have not lived there for 20 years. Thompson has answered questions about Arizona's quirks (and our own) that I always wondered about but never knew where to ask, or had the time and inclination to find out for myself. He has an irreverent, yet never offensive style. 90% of his answers would make great subjects for bar bets, if you're into that sort of thing.