A public information officer for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) by day, Edwin Lyngar, a Battle Mountain native, becomes a writing machine by night, tackling issues that are drawing a fan base to him at Salon magazine's online website.
It began innocently in December 2013 with a column entitled "Why I fled libertarianism - and became a liberal," published on www.salon.com. It drew readers far and wide, sparking nearly 2,500 heated comments and 10,000 Facebook shares.
"Welcome Mr. Lyngar!" wrote one enthusiastic person in a sea of mixed positive, negative and controversial comments. "Your story is one of hope, and shows an example of how the mighty pen foments thoughtful writing."
Lyngar's second Salon piece, published February 2014, entitled "I lost my dad to Fox News: How a generation was captured by thrashing hysteria," began to solidify his readership, drawing him scorn and praise among nearly 2,500 comments. It was shared 16,000 times on Facebook.
It also earned his father, Gary Lyngar, an interview appearance on Fox News. The article did not interfere with his relationship with his father, who took it good naturedly, he said.
He continues to rile readers nearly every month with other titles such as "Fox News tried to tear my family apart: How they failed to incite my father," and "I was poor, but a GOP die-hard: How I finally left the politics of shame."
He said he has managed to upset a lot of his old friends in Battle Mountain with his extreme views, but many have stayed by his side, expressing admiration of his writing skills, despite disagreeing with him.
Since his columns went viral, he made an appearance on the Alan Colmes and the Jesse Lee Peterson radio shows. Each time one of his Salon columns appears, his Twitter followers increase. His latest piece increased his Twitter fans from 900 to 1,400. He had just 150 before his first article was published last December.
His recent publicity is a result of 10 years of hard work and dedication to writing. Success did not come overnight, he said. To finally be able to share his opinion is gratifying, he added.
"I like to feel like I have a voice," he said. "Writing just sort of gives you the ability to be heard."
Lyngar, who currently lives in Reno, liked growing up in Battle Mountain and refers to it often in his articles. His experiences helped shape who he is and he treasures the time he spent here, he said.
"I loved that upbringing and still think about it fondly," he said. "That's where I grew up, where I come from. It has a unique perspective."
Raised as a right wing republican, he was politically active for the party and embraced it before having a change of heart around four years ago which he describes as a political conversion and talks about in his Salon piece, "Why I fled libertarianism - and became a liberal."
A feminist and atheist, Lyngar is the author of an autobiographical non-fiction memoir, "Guy Parts," that revolves around his experiences as a single father, dating and getting remarried.
He describes it as a humorous piece filled with personal essays. His agent in San Francisco is currently shopping for a publisher. It took him 10 years and three re-writes to complete.
He is currently working on a second book, which he feels may sell before his first book. It is based on his Salon columns and he is hoping to start shopping around early next year for a publisher, he said.
A self-professed binge-writer, Lyngar writes at night after his long days at work. He blogged in anonymity for four years before coming out to express his views publicly. He has been a writer for more than 10 years, first exploring the area of creative non-fiction in 2003.
He blogged from 2003 to 2006 about divorce, parenting and being a single father raising two children and then took a break from blogging from 2006 to 2010. He began blogging again in 2011 at edwinlyngar.com and posts either once a month or every few months. He also writes for several smaller online websites including Role Reboot.
Born in Grass Valley, Calif., Lyngar moved to Battle Mountain at the age of 5. He is a 1992 graduate of Battle Mountain High School. His mother, Cheryl Lyngar, served as a Lander County commissioner for four years in the 1990s. His father, Gary, lived in Battle Mountain part-time and worked up until two years ago. Both of his parents currently reside in Reno. His cousins still live in Battle Mountain.
In 1992, Lyngar attended a semester at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, before dropping out and joining the U.S. Coast Guard for seven years, during which time he wrote for Coast Guard Magazine.
Lyngar earned an associate's degree in general studies from Columbia College in 1998 and a bachelor's degree in liberal arts from Regent's College in New York in 1999 while he was in the Coast Guard.
He graduated with a master's degree in English from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2006. He also has a second master's degree in fine arts and creative writing, which he earned in 2010 from Antioch University in Los Angeles.
He is married to Joy Lyngar. The couple has two children and he also has two from a previous marriage plus a stepson. He has one grandchild.
When he isn't writing, he can be found spending quality time with his family. He is also licensed to officiate weddings, which he performs for atheists and agnostics.
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