Terry Tempest Williams' REFUGE

In REFUGE: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, Terry Tempest Williams witnesses the diminishment of the migratory bird refuge at Great Salt Lake, walks with a loved one through illness and grief, and explores the meaning of her family history. A dominant theme of the book is accepting loss and embracing change as part of nature.

The author is celebrated for her unique style and ability to evoke a deep emotional response in the reader. In 2006, Ms. Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She also received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Western American Literature Association and the Wallace Stegner Award given by The Center for the American West. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Fellowship and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction. Terry Tempest Williams is currently the Annie Clark Tanner Scholar in Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah.

Report on March Meeting

The March 29 meeting had a good turnout of six people with three new members attending. We enjoyed a lively discussion about Rachel Carson as an environmentalist and as an author. Members shared some readings of favorite passages. Members had read from different works, including Always Rachel (a collection of letters to and from Dorothy Freeman), Under the Sea-Wind, The Edge of the Sea, A Sense of Wonder, The Lost Woods (an anthology of Carson writings), and The Sea Around Us. We reviewed an ever-growing list of candidates for future reads, but settled on Refuge by Terry Tempest Williams for April's book. One member is investigating the purchase of a nature writers' anthology to assist us in the book selection process. Many excellent suggestions have been put forth! We are still determining what process to use for selecting books. As the season warms, we hope to schedule some meetings outdoors. The next meeting is set for Sunday April 26, 3:00 PM, Snyder Hall, Shepherd University.

COMMENT: ALWAYS RACHEL

If you are reading Always, Rachel, add your comments here.

Film on Carson in the works to show at NCTC!

I have been speaking with PVAS and NCTC about scheduling a free showing of the film. More info coming soon. Trillium
http://www.asenseofwonderfilm.com/