Voice in the Wilderness: Conversations with Terry Tempest Williams

by Michael Austin (Editor)

Overview

In her writings, Terry Tempest Williams repeatedly invites us as readers into engagement and conversation with both her and her subject matter, whether it is nature or society, environment or art. From her evocation, in Desert Quartet: An Erotic Landscape, of an eroticism of place that defines erotic as "in relation," to the spiritual connectivity and familial bonds she explores in Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place and the political engagement she urges in The Open Space of Democracy, much of her work is about relationship, connection, and community. Like much good writing, her books invite readers into thoughtful dialogue with the text. Frequently in demand for workshops, lectures, and other speaking venues and well known as an environmental activist, Williams has a public persona and voice almost indistinguishable from her written ones.

Thus, the interviews she has often granted--in print, on the radio, on the Web--seamlessly elaborate the ideas and extend the explorations of her written texts. They also tell us much about the genesis, context, and intent of her books. With her distinctive, impassioned voice and familiar felicity of language, she talks about wilderness and wildlife, place and eroticism, art and literature, democracy and politics, family and heritage, Mormonism and religion, writing and creativity, and other subjects that engage her agile mind. The set of interviews gathered and introduced by Michael Austin in A Voice in the Wilderness represent the span of Terry Tempest Williams's career as a naturalist, author, and activist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874215373
Publisher:	Utah State University Press
Publication date:	08/15/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	751 KB

About the Author

Michael Austin, professor of English and dean of graduate studies at Shepherd University began collecting Williams's interviews after realizing "that the conversational style of the literary interview is better suited to Terry Tempest Williams than to almost any other writer alive. Throughout her career, she has been engaged in conversations with herself, with her family, with her culture--and, perhaps most importantly, with the land." He shares and introduces a delicious sample of her conversations in A Voice in the Wilderness.

Table of Contents

Contents Acknowledgments 000 A Life Engaged A Critical Introduction 000 Michael Austin Memory is the Only Way Home A Conversational Interview with Terry Tempest Williams 000 David Petersen, 1991 Wild Heart The Politics of Place 000 Justine Toms, 1994 Terry Tempest Williams 000 Derrick Jensen, 1995 The Politics of Place An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams 000 Scott London, 1995 Terry Tempest Williams and Ona Siporin A Conversation 000 Ona Siporin, 1996 A Conversation with Terry Tempest Williams 000 Jocelyn Bartkevicius and Mary Hussmann, 1997 Talking to Terry Tempest Williams About Writing, the Environment, and Being a Mormon 000 Tom Lynch, 1999 Testimony, Refuge, and the Sense of Place A Conversation with Terry Tempest Williams 000 David Thomas Sumner, 1999 The Transformative Power of Art An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams 000 Michael Toms, 2000 Lighting the Match An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams 000 Susie Caldwell, 2001 Wild Mercy and Restoring the Dialogue Reflections on 9/11 000 Michael Toms, 2001 and 2002 An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams 000 Jana Bouck Remy, 2002 Coffee Talk A Chat with Terry Tempest Williams 000 Aria Seligmann, 2003 A Conversation with Terry Tempest Williams 000 Delicious Living magazine, 2003 An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams 000 David Kupfer, 2005 The Wild Mind Terry Tempest Williams and the Writing Process 000 Michael Austin, 2005 Appendix Interviews with Terry Tempest Williams 000 Index 000