After nearly thirty years living in the Salish Sea's San Juan Archipelago, Iris Graville felt compelled to write about the threats to its interwoven lattice of beauty, wildness, fragility, and relationship. In 2018-19, Graville served as the Washington State Ferries' first Writer-in-Residence on the "Interisland" route, traveling only among Lopez, Shaw, San Juan, and Orcas Islands. As a result, this storytelling lover of the Salish Sea presents Writer in a Life Vest, thirty-six essays that explore climate change and endangered Southern Resident killer whales, while leading readers to ask questions and find resilience, inspiration, and hope.