Connecting to nature through poetry and prose
Jacqueline Siskin states that “Awe” lies at the heart of poetry. Awe allows us to see what matters in the world. It helps us find the joy, the sorrow, and the connections that can lead to individual and collective healing.
“I didn’t know it, but I was having a 'haiku moment’- a moment when the mind stops and the heart moves”. This quote is from Margaret McGee, the author of Haiku: The Sacred Art (A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines), and it marks the beginning of her journey toward a haiku life.
The Heart of Haiku is a short book written by Jane Hirshfield in which she investigates the evolution of Matsuo Basho’s writing and poetry. Using Basho’s own words and haiku, Hirschfield demonstrates Basho's impact on the poetic world.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North is Basho’s third book documenting his travels in Japan, and it is considered one of the major Japanese texts from the Edo period. This book, written in haibun, demonstrates Basho’s mastery of this form. Yuasa states that the “prose and haiku illuminate each other like two mirrors held up facing each other.”
The favorite nature books of 2021 as identified by our readers.
As we move towards the end of the year, I wanted to spend a bit of time reflecting on my favorite books and provide an opportunity to hear about your favorites. Below are four of my favorite books, and an opportunity for you to help create the 1st Annual Naturalist Weekly Readers’ Book List.
Today we have an interview with author, artist, and poet Sue Wood. Sue talks with us about nature, the Isle of Skye, her new book, and shares a couple of poems.
The reasons for wanting to pass down knowledge can be various, but what remains the same is the underlying hope that others can benefit from your experiences. Today we have two books from accomplished authors that contribute to creating a sense of wonder in the natural world.
Three resources that explore the challenges and benefits of reading and writing poetry,. These sources also offer insight into the ways we can learn and grow with poetry.
Visualizing Nature: Essays on Truth, Spirit, and Philosophy, is edited by Stuart Kestenbaum. In this book, Kestenbaum asked the essayist “How does nature speak to you? And how do you listen to nature?’ Each essayist responded in their own way harnessing their personal experience and expertise to share stories about forests, deserts, coral reefs, and shorelines.
"If one takes the view that all of life is Sacred and connected to the Great Mystery, then all of Nature becomes a doorway to the Infinite" Josh Lane, Conscious Nature Josh Lane is a nature mentor with a diverse background that includes yoga, meditation practices, holistic tracking, bird language, and wilderness skills. Conscious Nature:... Continue Reading →
I first became aware of Richard Louv's work when I read Last Child in The Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, (2008). In this book, Louv explores the emerging research on the beneficial impacts of nature on the well-being of children. Louv suggests that a lack of nature connection in the lives of children... Continue Reading →
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