For immediate release

Contact:           Dr. Kent Curtis
                         The Walden Woods Project
                         (781) 259-4721
                         education@walden.org                     

LINCOLN, MA; March 8, 2004 – Following on the heals of a highly successful nature photography lecture series last fall, the Walden Woods Project is pleased to announce a continuation of their art and nature series, The Natural Subject, by offering a series focused on writing about nature this spring.

“The goal of The Natural Subject series is to celebrate the creative legacy of Henry David Thoreau and to cultivate an artistic sensibility toward Walden Woods, Thoreau Country, and ultimately, all of nature,” Kathi Anderson, Executive Director of the Walden Woods Project said. “As any artist who does so will tell you, drawing, photographing, writing about, or otherwise focusing on nature as a subject of creative pursuit forces one to notice nature in ways that go much deeper than our ordinary encounters.  These events will bring some of our region’s finest experts in their respective fields to talk about how they do it and what it has taught them about the natural world.”

The spring series will focus on nature writing and environmental journalism and feature four well-known regional writers.  Author and editor, John Hanson Mitchell, will lead off this spring’s Natural Subject series on Tuesday evening, March 23, with a reading from his work and a discussion about his writing process.  Local place-based writer, Jane Brox will follow on Tuesday, March 30, presenting a talk called “Time in Place,” which will intersperse readings from several of her works about her Dracut farm with a discussion about how change has marked both this place and her ambitions as an author.  On April 6, Tom Conuel, who has written dozens of pieces of environmental journalism since publishing his history of the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1980s, will read from some of his work and discuss how his interest in rivers, land use, and water issues has focused his journalistic pursuit.  The fourth presentation will take place on Tuesday, April 13, when award-winning environmental journalist Susan Pollack will read from here essay entitled “The Wives of Gloucester,” and discuss the challenges of writing about community and families in a natural resource-dependent community.

On Saturday, April 17, the Walden Woods Project will hold an afternoon workshop featuring some of the presenters, so that participants in the program may put what they have learned into practice.  Details about the follow-up workshop will be made available at each of the Tuesday evening events.

“Thoreau knew as well as anyone that the artistic eye forced one to look at and notice details about nature and culture that science could never adequately investigate,” Kent Curtis, Director of Education at the Walden Woods Project’s Thoreau Institute, said.  “We are very excited to be continuing this tradition and encouraging a new generation of stewards inspired by the practice of art.”

All presentations take place at the Walden Woods Project’s Thoreau Institute in Lincoln, Massachusetts.  The Thoreau Institute is located at 44 Baker Farm Road, off Route 126 just south of Walden Pond.  Directions and more information about the authors are available on our Web site (www.walden.org).

Individual sessions cost $12 for Walden Woods Project members and $20 for non-members.  The entire series may be purchased as a unit (prior to March 23rd) for a discount: $40 for members and $70 for non-members.  Reservations can be made at (781) 259-4736 or by sending an email to education@walden.org.

All programs except the follow-up writing workshop begin at 7:00 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception sponsored by The Whole Foods Market of Wayland

About the Walden Woods Project

The Walden Woods Project is a national conservation, education, and research organization committed to preserving the land, literature and legacy of Henry David Thoreau. Founded in 1990 by recording artist Don Henley, the organization uses the land it has protected in Walden Woods to foster an ethic of environmental stewardship and social responsibility, both cornerstones of Thoreau's philosophy. In 14 years, the Project has protected nearly 140 acres in and around Walden Woods and provided educational programming for hundreds of teachers, students, and life long learners. The Walden Woods Project also administers The Thoreau Institute, a research center near Walden Pond that houses the world’s foremost collection of Thoreau-related materials.