Where We're Going

A few updates all at once:


  • For one month starting in early June I'll be traveling through London, Switzerland, eastern France, and southwest Germany. Why? Twenty-five or so high school students. I'm chaperoning the German trip. Yes, I know. But I think it's going to be great fun. And the stories, my friends, THE STORIES.

  • A new essay about my father and me and our fishing exploits is up over at The Backcountry Journal. Check it out? Here's a little tease:
    • "Water. A boat or a bit of shoreline. A rod, bait, maybe a net. That perfect fish. I'd place my bets that you're already seeing it, that time when you pulled a slick, silvery body in. That time a surge that felt a lot like love came up with the end of your swallowed line. Your fishing story. And the people you turned to first to tell it."   [more]

  • Some publicity folks asked if I might like to review the BBC's most recent nature documentary series Frozen Earth. Since they promised free DVD packs of the film for two of my plucky readers/followers/subscribers, I said hell yes with an iceberg on top. Watch for that review and giveaway.

  • And here's what I've been soaking in for a month: The Loft Literary Center is hosting it's first annual Nature, Outdoors, and Environmental Writing Conference this September just north of the Twin Cities. Good enough news all on its own, right? I could hardly believe my down-the-road luck. But what's more is that I'll be presenting there with a handful of talented writers and thinkers, including Scott Russell Sanders. It was Sanders' essay "Writing From The Center" that first got me thinking about flyover country, flyover fiction, place-related words, all of this.
          Yeah.
  • So where I was motivated before to put together a great presentation, now it is what I think about. And since my talk's topic will be blogging--how it can both enrich your connection to the natural world and your writing practice--I want and need to be 100% transparent here. I will keep posting on what inspires me, when it inspires me, of course. That's been the whole point from the beginning, and that's probably why you've stuck around. But in the next several months, I'm going to need your help, friends. For experience's sake, I'm going to try some new things (giveaways), reach out to other networks (guest blogging), curate and edit an online newsletter (Nature-Talk), and ask you, dear reader, some basic nature/blog/photography/writing related questions. Any feedback you'd care to share with me will be gobbled up with heaps of appreciation. I'm planning to create a Prezi that includes names and links and a whole mess of goodness. I'd love for your voice to be a part of the mix. 

  • In the mean time, if you have books or articles I should read, questions I should be thinking about, or whatever, please let me know. We're one big community, right? If I've learned anything from this bloggy venture, it's been that the world really is small after all.

To the road!

Comments

  1. Your trip sounds like a dream, high schoolers or not! I'm excited to see what you come up with in your new blogging venture.

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    1. Agreed. I love--as in L-O-V-E--to travel, and I happen to like sixteen and seventeen year olds (for the most part), so I'm pumped. A bit of the trip will make it on the blog, for sure.

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  2. Wow, lots on your plate. I'll await the reveal on these new endeavors. And..., better you than me chaperoning a bunch of students.

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    1. Yep! May has felt overwhelming at times, but at least I can look forward to the reprieve of those eight+ hour plane rides... :)

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  3. Emily:

    You can do all things through God who strengthens you! I admire your ambition, and the way you choose adventures and new opportunities to enrich your life and the lives of others.

    I am here to support you, and pray for your success. You have been an enormous help in getting me started. Now, what can I do for you? My specialties are Botany, Dendrology, Wildflowers, etc. (esp in the midwest). Thanks for following WWFN.

    Gratefully,

    Richard

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    1. Thanks, Richard. Glad to have your knowledge and support here!

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  4. OK - need a little help with context here. What's a "Prezi"? I might as well get into the mix by admitting I'm a doofus. ;)

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    1. Why, it's a new word in the Oxford!

      Just kidding: it most likely hasn't made it that far yet. A Prezi is bascially the cooler cousin of a PowerPoint... a zooming presentation platform that's online. It's pretty cool. Very visual. A great tool for anyone who speaks in front of others. :)

      www.prezi.com

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    2. Thanks for the link and the explanation! Oh, my - you're going to have such a fine time. And when everything goes awry and language suddenly is a barrier and that pair that was RIGHT HERE suddenly has wandered off - that's when the best stories will be born!

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  5. Just in case her sanity actually survives taking high schoolers to Europe, I wish to state for the historical record that I knew Emily before she became famous.

    Also, I want to know if we loyal blog readers will get free back stage passes when your surely upcoming best selling book signing tours come to our local football stadium.

    Good luck with all the new adventures!

    --Phil

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    1. If the tour stays housed in small book stores, absolutely. If it ends up in a stadium, I think you'll find me hiding out in a cave somewhere. :)

      Thanks for reading, Phil. I think we both have an exciting summer ahead of us.

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  6. I am sure you are going to enjoy your trip. And, maybe cross some things off your life list. Looking for to reading about it.

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    1. Yes, and perhaps I will ADD things to my Life List, too!

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  7. Exciting things going on! And I'm very much looking forward to the stories from Europe!

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    1. I will do my best to report with journalistic flair!

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  8. Sounds like a great summer, and I admire your bravery for traveling to Europe with 25 high school students! ;-)
    Have you ever read the Best American Travel Essays? I'm reading the ones from 2011 right now and I'm hooked!

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    1. I have! Love all the Best American anthologies, and that series in particular helps me in all the vicarious ways. I might have to pack a copy in my suitcase...

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  9. My word your plate is full! Have fun on your trip to Germany. Looking forward to experiencing your new adventures!

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  10. Wow - you are a brave woman to go on such a trip! I hope you have a marvelous time - and yes, I can't wait to hear your stories!

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  11. Marvellous to hear of all these exciting plans, projects, travels and ideas. Looking forward immensely to what emerges over time from these explorations. You probably won't have time if you're just passing through on your way to Germany, but there's an interesting looking exhibtion all about place on at the British Libary in London called Writing Britain: Wonderlands to Wastelands. Here's a recent short review from a blog by Diana Hale: http://dianajhale.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/writing-britain-place-as-identity-with-a-diversion-to-robinson-in-ruins-exhibited/#comment-283 I haven't seen it but have a couple of days in London coming up and am thinking of having a look.

    And what an honour to be presenting alongside Scott Russell Sanders! And one that's highly deserved. I think your choice of topic is inspiring, and one that continues to fascinate me: how the digital world can help connect us to the earthen world. It would be a pleasure to help in any way I can with your various new ventures! Enjoy the road, Emily...

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    1. Julian,

      Thank you for this travel tip. The British Library is on my list of places to visit, so I'll do my best to check out the exhibit you mentioned. I've been so focused on Minnesota these last years, but place is a global thing, after all. It's fun for me to see how other cultures interact with the concept.

      And you're right on about what I'd like to address in my talk. It seems counter-intuitive to incorporate "screen time" into the lives of nature-lovers, but it really can be a wonderful component. I connected with you, for example! And so many others here. I'll definitely look for your insights on future question-based posts. Thanks!

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