Final Post

I must admit, being in this class cost me a lot of money. I'm not talking about the cost of schooling itself or of buying the books required...

I'm talking about how now, I often visit the nature writing section of the bookstore and purchase book after book that seems interesting. Can I make a list? Oh yeah. I can make a list [which may prove useful to other students who are just as interested in nature writing as I am].

And keep in mind, these were all purchased after attending the first class.

1. A Passion For Nature: Thomas Jefferson and Natural History by Keith Thomson (non-fiction)
2. Turtle Island by Gary Snyder (poetry)
3. Second Nature: A Gardener's Education by Michael Pollan (non-fiction)
4. Finding Beauty in a Broken World by Terry Tempest Williams (non-fiction)
5. Death in the Woods and Other Stories by Sherwood Anderson (fiction)
6. Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver (non-fiction)
7. A Private History of Awe by Scott Russell Sanders (non-fiction)
8. Leap by Terry Tempest Williams (non-fiction)
9. Deep Play by Diane Ackerman (non-fiction)
10. Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region by National Audubon Society (non-fiction)
11. Jaguar of Sweet Laughter by Diane Ackerman (poetry)

It's a good thing I have an employee discount at a bookstore.

This list does not count the numerous books I've checked out from the library.

I am very interested in writing about nature, but at the same time, I am so perplexed by it. I can tire of it easily if I'm not reading the right stuff. In class, we read a lot of personal accounts with nature. We read about people's personal relationships with nature and place. Face to face. One on one. But I just realized (literally, just now) when looking at my list that I tend to like writings about nature that are not TOO personal. I like it when a writer writes the reader into the work. Where nature teaches us about humanity rather than nature teaching a self. Ackerman does that a lot. And so does Tempest-Williams. Ackerman, moreso. The woman has a molecule named after her. But anyway, writing about nature to write about the self seems selfish to me. It is done a lot, and done pretty well by plenty, but it is no longer original in my opinion. I enjoy reading nature writing that teaches me something about me and us. Not just about the writer. And that's what I aim to do with my nature writing, when it is nature that I am writing about.

I enjoyed the class very much and liked how not only did we experience the class in the classroom, but we went out and worked the land, as well. I thought it would have been interesting if we read a few pieces that were more scientific. We read a little and I understand that the class is focused on creative writing, but I must admit that I love to read science in a creative essay, if it is placed in the essay seamlessly. And I also understand that the MFA program is trying to get a science-writing class put together. That is a great idea. It is always wonderful to read lyrical or glorious writing that is based mostly on aesthetic, but I absolutely love it when information is involved. I think that makes it all the more beautiful and insightful. And it says a lot about the author, as well. There is a deep passion on both sides of the brain.

I will continue to write about nature. This isn't some promise that I'm hoping to keep. I am always out and about in the woods or exploring something that is abandoned or condemned. It is a passion of mine that I love to put into words. And therefore, I will continue.