Writing Environments

by Sidney I. Dobrin (editor), Christopher J. Keller (Editor)

Writing Environments addresses the intersections between writing and nature through interviews with some of America's leading environmental writers. Those interviewed include Rick Bass, Cheryll Glotfelty, Annette Kolodny, Max Oelschlaeger, Simon J. Ortiz, David Quammen, Janisse Ray, Scott Russell Sanders, Edward O. Wilson, and Ann H. Zwinger. From the standpoints of activists, scientists, naturalists, teachers, and highly visible writers, the interviewees consider how different environments have influenced them, how their writing affects environments, and the ways readers experience environments. The interviews are followed by critical responses from writing scholars. This diverse range of voices speaks lucidly and captivatingly about topics such as place, writing, teaching, politics, race, and culture, and how these overlap in many complex ways.

389 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 2005

Reviews

[Savannah Paige Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great interviews with "big wigs" in the environmental humanities -- of course my favorite sections involved Rick Bass and Janisse Ray. Lots of good thoughts here about nature writing and teaching!

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the intro and I'm reading the sections on/by Quammen, Ray, Oelschlaeger, Ortiz, and Sanders. Based on the intro, those were the ones that interested me. I'm more interested in the stuff about how place influences us, not so much on things generally seen as environmentalism or nature writing I guess. (Although I am sort of wondering if I'll eventually find that is an artificial or otherwise crappy division I am making.)

I was surprised in the intro to hear the editors sort of misgivings about how they paired (originally) oral interviews with written responses and how this created a sort of imbalance. I got the sense that there were some heated exchanges. As I read, I'm looking for those. I'm seeing a few responses that I could see being sort of feather-ruffling, let's say. And some of them seem kinda dirty. Not sure what to do with this, but it is interesting.