Chapters in Books

Nature Writing and Creative Nonfiction

"Crazy About Nature”

Reflections on the value of natural history for environmental, social, and spiritual well-being.

The Way of Natural History
Edited by Thomas Lowe Fleischner
Trinity University Press, 2011

“Night Vision”

How one learns to see in the dark and pass on its gifts.

Let There Be Night: Testimony on Behalf of the Dark
edited by Paul Bogard
University of Nevada Press, 2008

Ecocriticism

“John Burroughs’s Contrarian Path”

What we can learn from Burroughs as a student of modest, near-at-hand nature, with implications for environmentalism and ecocritical practice.

Writing the Land: John Burroughs and his Legacy
Edited by Daniel G. Payne
Cambridge Scholars Press, 2008

"Deerslayer with a Degree"

Coming into manhood under the influence of Cooper’s legendary woodsman, through outdoor adventures with the Boy Scouts and college experiences at Dartmouth.

Eco-Man: New Perspectives on Masculinity and Nature
Edited by Mark Allister
University of Virginia Press, 2004

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"Beyond the Excursion: Initiatory Themes in Annie Dillard and Terry Tempest Williams"

Contrasting these two eminent contemporary nature writers in light of their protagonists’ suffering and transformation.

Reading the Earth: New Directions in the Study of Literature and the Environment
Edited by Michael P. Branch, Rochelle Johnson, Daniel Patterson, and Scott Slovic
University of Idaho Press, 1998

"Barry Lopez", "Richard Nelson", "Western Geologists and Explorers" [John Wesley Powell and Clarence King]

Critical accounts of four key nature writers for a major reference encyclopedia.

American Nature Writers
Edited by John Elder
Scribner’s, 1996

"Anatomy of a Classic"

A literary analysis of Leopold’s great work, discussing plot, rhetoric, persona, and stylistics.

Companion to A Sand County Almanac: Interpretive & Critical Essays
Edited by J. Baird Callicott
University of Wisconsin Press, 1987

"John Muir, Emerson, and the Book of Nature: The Explorer as Prophet"

Examination of Muir’s annotations to his copy of Emerson’s Essays, showing how he adapted Emerson’s ideas to his own purposes.

America: Exploration and Travel
Edited by Steven E. Kagle
Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1979

Teaching and Pedagogy

“Out of the Woods”

Reflections on the ascendance of environmental literature in the classroom and in the field, including the emergence of ecocriticism.

Teaching North American Environmental Literature
Edited by Laird Christensen,  Mark C. Long,  and Fred Waage
Modern Language Association, 2008

"Urban Nature as a Scene of Instruction"

The value of urban landscapes in teaching natural history and environmental values, with practical suggestions for field trips and exercises.

Teaching in the Field: Working with Students in the Outdoor Classroom
Edited by Hal Crimmel
University of Utah Press, 2003

"A Matter of Scale: Searching for Wilderness in the City"

How to observe and write about urban nature with insight and power.

The Alphabet of the Trees: A Guide to Nature Writing
Edited by Christian McEwen & Mark Stratman
Teachers and Writers Collaborative, 2000

"Writing as a Window into Nature"

Using writing to sharpen observation and deepen understanding of nature in both remote and nearby places.

Into the Field: A Guide to Locally Focused Teaching
With Claire Walker Leslie and Tom Wessels. Introduction by Ann Zwinger
Orion Society Nature Literacy Series, 2000

"Teaching Wilderness Values to Undergraduates"

Using nature writing, field trips, and in-class debates to engage students with environmental issues and values.

Teaching Environmental Literature: Materials, Methods, Resources
Edited by Frederick O. Waage
Modern Language Association, 1985