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Jeff Darren Muse

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https://www.jeffdarrenmuse.com

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March 2023

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In his award-winning memoir, Dear Park Ranger, Jeff Darren Muse writes: "You will not care for what you do not know. Start now. Start knowing it." From crawdad creeks and public wildlands to college classrooms and prison gardens, he has worked throughout the United States as an environmental educator, historical interpreter, and park ranger.

Born and raised in Indiana, Muse graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1987 and DePauw University in 1991. With master's degrees in science and creative writing, he has been employed by numerous agencies, public universities, and nonprofit organizations, from McLeod Plantation Historic Site and Zion National Park, to The Evergreen State College and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, to Hudson River Sl In his award-winning memoir, Dear Park Ranger, Jeff Darren Muse writes: "You will not care for what you do not know. Start now. Start knowing it." From crawdad creeks and public wildlands to college classrooms and prison gardens, he has worked throughout the United States as an environmental educator, historical interpreter, and park ranger.

Born and raised in Indiana, Muse graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1987 and DePauw University in 1991. With master's degrees in science and creative writing, he has been employed by numerous agencies, public universities, and nonprofit organizations, from McLeod Plantation Historic Site and Zion National Park, to The Evergreen State College and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, to Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and North Cascades Institute. Be it north, south, east, or west, he embodies the Crossroads of America.

As a writer, Muse is inspired by Brian Doyle's dictum: "The essay is a jackdaw, a magpie, a raven. It picks up everything and uses it." Exploring nature, culture, family life, and his own highs and lows, Muse's essays have appeared in Ascent, The Common, High Country News, and River Teeth, among others. His book, Dear Park Ranger, interrogates his lifelong restlessness—that of a fatherless, childless Hoosier who wouldn't and couldn't stay put. In 2024, Indiana Authors Awards celebrated his memoir on the Debut Shortlist. Likewise, Nautilus Book Awards honored it with a silver medal, and Foreword Reviews deemed it a finalist for a 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Award.

With his wife, "Ranger Paula," Muse has returned home to central Indiana where he now battles cancer—his own. In the summer of 2023, as they both rangered in New Mexico, he experienced a cluster of confusing symptoms. An MRI revealed a brain tumor. Healthcare laid out a map. "Don't fret," he says. "I'm still here! Still hiking!" Along with writing about this new wilderness, Muse continues to connect people to places and people to each other—all ages, all walks of life. ...more

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Average rating: 4.64 · 33 ratings · 17 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

Dear Park Ranger: Essays on Manhood, Restlessness, and the Geography of Hope

4.64 avg rating — 33 ratings — 2 editions

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Jeff Muse rated a book it was amazing A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Aug 17, 2024 12:19PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dear Park Ranger by Jeff Darren Muse. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dear Park Ranger by Jeff Darren Muse <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeff Muse liked Coleen OConnell's review of Dear Park Ranger: Essays on Manhood, Restlessness, and the Geography of Hope: "I have been processing this book for two weeks since finishing. I think I can begin to articulate what I took away. First off - my respect and hats off to you Jeff for being so honest and vulnerable. I really thought I was about to read a natural his" Read more of this review »
Apr 03, 2024 09:08AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dear Park Ranger by Jeff Darren Muse. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dear Park Ranger by Jeff Darren Muse <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeff Muse liked Steffany Raynes's review of Dear Park Ranger: Essays on Manhood, Restlessness, and the Geography of Hope: "Review for Dear Park Ranger Essays on Manhood, Restlessness, and the Geography of Hope Memoir is one of my favorite genres. Jeff’s memoir is unusually good. It is a collection of essays that interrogate his life story - how he got to where he is now. " Read more of this review »
Mar 23, 2024 07:43PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dear Park Ranger by Jeff Darren Muse. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dear Park Ranger by Jeff Darren Muse <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jeff Muse liked Florence May's review of Dear Park Ranger: Essays on Manhood, Restlessness, and the Geography of Hope: "Well written. Emotional journey across the USA in search of self."
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