Vanessa Veselka, whose latest novel is "The Great Offshore Grounds," in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky.

"The Great Offshore Grounds" is an epic novel about two sisters on a quest to find themselves during the upheavals of the current era. It's a detailed examination of feminism, of lives lived on the edge, and of life in the parts of America we hear little about.

Vanessa Veselka's first novel, "Zazen," has just been reissued by Vintage. Published by a small press over a decade ago, it looks at the travails of young adults set against the backdrop of an ever-increasing political violence in America.

Vanessa Veselka, the daughter of journalist Linda Ellerbee, left home at the age of fifteen and early in her life lived the life of a homeless vagabond, eventually becoming a professional musician in the Pacific Northwest, a union organizer, and a writer of fiction.