On Nature Writing
The first text that especially struck me was Ann Zwinger’s A Rinse in the River. As I wrote in my journal, “Zwinger focuses more on the human history within nature,” and I appreciated the sense of intimacy she incorporated in her work. What I learned about nature writing from this short essay is that it can remind us of the past while grounding us in the present through natural imagery and description. Another text I liked was Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry. I wrote that I appreciated the “critique of modern society and our inclination to want everything at our fingertips,” which I felt was an integral part of agrarianism. From this poem, I learned that nature poetry doesn’t have to consist of the most beautiful, imagery-filled lines to be considered in this category. The third and final text that stood out to me was Ursula LeGuin’s The Wife’s Story because I felt like it was a really unique twist on a classic tale. I think what I learned from this piece was that the meaning a reader is supposed to gain from nature writing doesn’t have to be obvious and that sometimes you have to work to discover what the author really wants you to take away.
The first important insight I had was from the journal associated with Simard, Svensson, and Kimmerer when I realized that I tend to engage with the natural world through memory and my senses. I noted that while memory allows me to connect better with the environment, my senses help me to be more present. Another significant insight I had occurred in a recursive entry after reading Wendell Berry. His work made me think about “how disconnected people are from the food we eat and the land that grows it.” I felt like, after this, I became much more aware of what I was eating in the sense that I wasn’t mindlessly putting food in my body without recognizing where it came from. A final insight I had was in regards to nature films, and I wrote that “filmmaker[s] can explore more intense and in-depth themes because there isn’t as much emphasis on figurative language.” While I don’t necessarily agree with how I worded it, I would say the sentiment still stands. If I were to rethink this reflection on nature films, I would probably say that the intense themes you can explore through text can be enhanced using film.
Overall, I feel like what we’ve done over the semester has shown me how many different types of nature writing exist, and it especially opened my eyes to genres that don’t rely only on text. I think more deeply about nature writing, and I’ve noticed that I try to distinguish different lenses of thought outside of this class. I think nature writing helps us do a number of things, but connecting with a world we’ve become disconnected from is a big one. It also teaches us about things we may never have known and thought about previously. I think nature writing makes nature more accessible, and that’s really important if we are hoping to achieve social equity.
On Myself as a Nature Writer
I think the biggest theme I’ve explored this semester through my writing is the overall human connection with nature as a way to learn about yourself. In my CNF piece, I wrote about my connection with the woods and how important it is to me. For my poem, I went a bit more abstract, but it was all about nature helping to relieve the monotony that people quite often fall into. Finally, for my fiction piece, the story is about a man who becomes one with nature, not only because that’s his desire but also because he has to in order to survive. Family was also an important theme, at least in my long-form writings. My fiction piece was directly about my ancestors, but even in my CNF essay, I speak of the woods as if they’re part of my family.
I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer. I prefer writing CNF and fiction over poetry because I can get more detailed, but I also realized I like keeping my writing on the shorter side. I find that it’s more impactful at times to say less. I also reaffirmed what I’ve realized in the past that my writing is stronger when I have a personal connection with the subject matter. Something that surprised me was how much I liked fiction writing. It’s something that’s always intimidated me because I read novels and couldn’t understand how someone was able to come up with totally imagined plot lines and characters. Doing it myself on a smaller scale made me realize I could be a fiction writer, I just needed to find the right subgenre of fiction to be able to succeed.
That being said, I’m so proud of “Otho’s Wilderness.” I think it’s one of the first works of fiction I’ve ever written that I actually like and isn’t cliche. My favorite line from the entire piece is “Gettin’ lost in your thoughts can be deadly out here, and with everyone startin’ to wake up, I have no intention of pissin’ off a bull moose or wolf pack because I wasn’t payin’ attention to where I was goin’.” I felt like I was able to depict my relative fairly accurately despite never meeting him, and based on the feedback I received, it said a lot about this man’s character. This piece really makes me want to write an entire book about the adventures of Otho, and I feel like I could definitely do it now after hearing the praise from my classmates.
As a nature writer, I can definitely see myself continuing on in the creative nonfiction and fiction genres. I want to keep writing about how nature plays a role in our lives because I think we forget that sometimes. Our lives get stressful and we don’t pay attention to the natural world, but I hope my writing can remind people of its beauty and necessity.
