Name: Karen Spring
Location: Houston, TX US
Date: Tuesday, June 06, 2006 at 16:08:55
Comments:

Terry, I've been to the Prado twice. The second time, I brought my binoculars. You've inspired me to look at art in new ways.

Cheers,

Karen

Name: Bill Diskin
Location: York, Pennsylvania USA
Date: Friday, November 11, 2005 at 18:18:38
Comments:

Terry was powerful as always in Lancaster, PA last night. Her Rwanda stories are so moving.

And it was great to be in her audience on the day the U.S. House of Representatives dropped the provision to drill the ANWR!

Fine work, Terry. Thank you for including the voices of so many students in your talk at F&M.

Peace,

Bill Diskin
bill@billdiskin.com

Name: Carl D. Esbjornson
Location: Bozeman, Montana USA
Date: Thursday, November 10, 2005 at 15:54:16
Comments:

Today we learned that the U.S. House of Representatives dropped the provision to drill the ANWR from the final budget resolution, thanks to several Republicans who oppose the measure! The Senate could still put it back in, but this is a big setback for the ANWR drilling policy.

Many thanks to the members of the Coyote Clan, and other people who pressured Congress. Many thanks, especially, to TTW who has put her heart, soul, and mind to this issue and spoken so powerfully, eloquently, and passionately for the ANWR in her writings and with her powerful public speaking presence.

I will add, however, that preserving such landscapes, which we have done reasonably well in some cases, is but one piece of the puzzle, which is still far from complete. The other piece is becoming indigenous to the landscapes we currently inhabit or in the words of Wes Jackson, becoming "native to this place." In this, we moderns, especially Americans, are failing miserably. While we have made a home for the wild in the ANWR and other wilderness sanctuaries, now WE must come home, again, to the wild--wherever we live! As we reintroduce other creatures (such as wolves) to their former wild habitats, is it not time to begin the human reintroduction effort? For we, too, have lost our wild home.

Nonetheless, great day for the ANWR. The fight must go on!

Cheerio, mates!

Name: Carl D. Esbjornson
Location: Bozeman, Montana USA
Date: Friday, October 28, 2005 at 10:19:23
Comments:

I want to share with the Coyote Clan some thoughts I have had recently regarding sustainability issues, especially since TTW is playing a very relevant role in promoting democracy as a politically as well as ecologically sustainable system:

1. Some people assume that the system of globalization is what we have to work with and that working for sustainable practices rather than trying to change this system is more doable. However, I believe that globalization is inherently unsustainable, and, moreover, that the system will not last. Indeed, it cannot last--that is a physical impossibility. It is inherently unstable and destabilizing and I actually believe that if those of us who advocate conservation, environmental protection, and sustainable practices are not able to stop it, it will stop itself. In short, the system is doomed by its very existence--if nothing else, the Second Law of Thermodynamics will make short work of industrialism, capitalism, and globalization, maybe before the end of this century, maybe well before the end of it.

We just saw how Hurricane Katrina landed a staggering blow to America's fossil-fuel dependent consumer society. America was like a punch-drunk heavyweight boxing champion, woozy, trying to stay on its feet, suddenly in the fight of its life after being king of the hill for awhile because it is so dependent on a fossil fuel economy that is no longer capable of absorbing such blows very well. I'll use another sports metaphor, a common saying that's been around for awhile: nature bats last. In baseball, of course, the team that bats last has a chance to win the game and the other team cannot do anything about it if the team at bat scores enough runs to win. Right now America, and the whole industrial globalized economy has been giving nature a beating, but now nature is batting and has gotten a few extra-base hits, scored some runs, and there is nothing the system can do to stop it, because the system is out of at-bats.

2. Therefore, our task is to prepare ourselves for the inevitable demise of this system. The development of sustainable practices, green technologies, strong and democratic local economies will ensure that the transition occurs without the end of high civilization as we know it, for we can practice sustainablity and still enjoy the best of what civilized life has to offer--Tuscan cuisine, French wine, Russian novels, Impressionist paintings, beer, baseball, ballet, the Brandenburg concertos, or, for that matter, Johnny Depp. We can have a civilized, cultured way of life without basing an entire economy on the consumption, the exhaustion of natural resources far beyond actual human needs and far beyond the carrying capacity of the Earth, which is where we now find ourselves.

3. Many of us advocates of sustainability have maintained we need strong local economies, not capitualization to globalization. We need to trust our instincts on this one. Strong local economies will ensure the continuance of human society beyond the inevitable collapse of the globalized macro-economy. And we should never assume, as some have, that tourism is going to protect indigenous local cultures, including our own. These cultures are going to need to first be the result of local practices and if it so happens that local cultures are attractive to tourists, then it may make sense to incorporate tourism in an already viable economy--but never should the economy depend on tourism! That is a recipe for disaster as we have seen in West Yellowstone's tourism economy that has become dependent on snowmobiles--a local example from my neck of the woods in Montana!

A strong local economy knows itself, by which I mean, a local economy not only uses local materials and resources but by doing so also is aware of the carrying capacity of the land and the limits beyond which use becomes unsustainable. When a local economy overconsumes it is screwed. However, when the globalized economy overconsumes, it plays a shell game where it hides this fact for awhile, finding other sources to exploit--drilling the ANWR is a good example of this. However, the system can run but it cannot hide. Using up the carrying capacity of the Earth will be catastrophic and then humanity will be catastrophically screwed. Now I am not into enviro-conservationist doomsaying, which kind of turns me off, but I am saying there are consequences.

These thoughts sketch out some things I have thought about for a long time. Globalization is not going to go away quietly, but people everywhere need to be quietly building an alternative, switching to sustainable practices without help from the system. We have already seen how a lot is going on below the radar: the market share of organic food is growing exponentially; people are quietly switching to solar, wind generation, going to farmer's markets instead of Wal-Mart, joining CSAs, switching to bio-fuels, home births, midwives, etc.--the list of examples goes on. We have also seen how the government is no help when it comes to sustainable practices, because the government now functions to facilitate globalization; therefore, local peoples and individuals everywhere are going to have to take this upon themselves--and it is starting to happen, a quiet revolution, a democratic and free quiet revolution.

In short, we must defend home ground wherever we live from Siberia to the Amazon rain forest to Tierra del Fuego, as we Americans have done at critical moments in our history from Concord Bridge to the ANWR against colonizers and exploiters.

Finally, I need to say that, while TTW does her job very well, and certainly better than I do it, that does not mean that I or anyone else should wallow in self-pity over our self-perceived feelings of ineffectiveness or powerlessness. I remember the words of Ghandi:

"Everything we do is insignificant and it is very important we do it."

Very consoling for one so insignificant as I.

Cheerio, mates!

Name: LINDA SAFLEY
Location: BALTIMORE, MD. U.S.A.
Date: Friday, October 21, 2005 at 13:56:30
Comments:

DEAR TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS:
I HEARD YOU SPEAK ON NEW DIMENSIONS AND HAVE BEEN READING ABOUT YOUR WORK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, DEDICATED TO THE PLANET. I AM VERY THANKFULL FOR YOUR DEDICATION, AND YOUR WIRITINGS, I STARTED OUT WRITING, AND THEN WENT TO WRITING ENVIRONMENTAL ARTICLES, AND TRYING TO GET STARTED AGAIN. PEACE & BLESSINGS!
LINDA

Name: Charly Heavenrich
Location: Boulder, Colorado US
Date: Friday, October 21, 2005 at 10:25:57
Comments:

I have been a raft guide in the Grand Canyon for the past 28 years, and it just keeps getting better. One night, when camped at Stone Creek, I went up to the first waterfall. I sat and felt the cool, damp air rushing off the falls. Then I saw the grandmother, her white hair flowing around a small outcropping at the top. Instantly the cool, moist air coming off the falls shifted behind me, became warm and pulled me towards the falls, as if embracing me. When I read Stone Canyon Woman", I knew I had met her, and sent you one of my photographs of her. I sent it to the museum, and don't know if you ever received it. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to educating all of us on the beauty and power of our natural world. I look forward to seeing you at the Center for the American West evening on November 2nd

Name: Jonathan Reisbaum
Location: Wayne, NJ USA
Date: Sunday, July 17, 2005 at 15:57:18
Comments:

I have been slowly reading Leap, pondering the words as Terry ponders the Jardin. I have been touched by the story of Joseph Smith and am to be Baptized in the Community of Christ Church. Terry's journey has touched me as an inventive writer and a true spiritualist. I hope to meet her one day.

Name: Norman Barton
Location: SLC, Utah USA
Date: Monday, May 09, 2005 at 09:47:23
Comments:

I am a writer, or so I thought. I merely break moments into words and hope a point is made somehow. I just wanted to add these comments to your site because you express things so well for all the places I love so very much.

From Bluff, Utah to the Great Salt Lake I have made Utah my home. Thanks Terry for your words about Gilgal and all the wonders of this state, this country, and well, our world. Where I fail to expand the point of view of those that would not understand the richness we stand to lose, you drive it home. Thank you.

Name: Jennie L
Location: Spokane, WA United States
Date: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 at 23:35:52
Comments:

I had the pleasure of meeting Sister Tempest Williams at a lecture/reading here at Spokane Community College yesterday. I was stunned by her humility and her openness to the responses. Many writers refuse to give up ownership of their work. In refreshing contrast to this trend, Terry readily gave her feelings and her text to us, the students, to make our own connections and form our own bond with the work.

I spoke with her, shortly and publicly, about the affects of growing up in a Mormon family on political views as well as spiritual stands and how hard it can be to break away to a more independent and unorthodox way of life and worship.

I wanted to publicly thank her for her remarks and the way her presence has touched my life in particular. One can always read a text and remove oneself from it, until the author of said text becomes real. To see her there in the room and hear her speaking directly to me immediately made the entire story that much more real, valid and true.

One thing that I did not tell her is that I had my own brush with cancer. I call it a brush because my doctor told me that I most likely had Melanoma and I should get ready to talk about options, but found the tissue sample to be benign. I do not have cancer, however I am on close watch. Seeing the affect the news of possible cancer on my friends and family scared me and hurt me more than the cancer itself. Going through that experience made me rethink my life, the way I was living it and how I was treating those who were in it with me. I buried a lot of hatchets. Renewed friendships and found refuge in old ones. Those old refuges are now, once again, made new to me. My doctor told me today that I possibly have endometriosis. Not serious. Quite common. However, the treatments available will make it near impossible for me to ever have children. The news was devistating.

The remarks Terry made at Spokane Community College have further empowered me in my quest for unity and understanding. The open dialogue that she pushed for in her speech last night is now a personal goal of mine. I asked her how I, a woman of only 19 years, could go about mobilizing young people like myself to get our voices heard. She said to me, "You need only look in the mirror. You have it in yourself." Thank you, Terry, for your comments and your courage. I hope to see you in Spokane again soon.


~Jennie

Name: Carl D. Esbjornson
Location: Bozeman, Montana USA
Date: Tuesday, April 05, 2005 at 14:18:01
Comments:

I was surprised at the level of anger when I read TTW's open letter to Sen. Ted Stevens about the vote to open the ANWR when I read it in Orion. She is normally restrained, while pointed and eloquent. It was so uncharacteristic of her, but needed. There is a word for this: sacred outrage. A word she used herself to describe Edward Abbey. The ANWR vote, although actual drilling is a long ways away, is one occasion for such level of outrage.

The vote to open the ANWR to oil drilling exemplifies the utter lack of vision behind the Bush administration’s failed energy policy, which continues the failed energy policies of every preceding administration.

Oil should play NO part in a comprehensive long-range energy policy. Neither should coal nor gas. Oil stands at the heart of many of our current severe economic, environmental, and foreign policy problems. Right now, an entirely energy self-sufficient, oil-free nation is theoretically technologically feasible--for example, cars are already running on vegetable oil and other clean-burning alternative fuels. The technology for solar heating and wind generation has greatly improved. We are lacking only the political leadership, and hence the will, to make it happen.

Our nation should set some tangible goals. We should make it a goal to convert every home, business, commercial, and government office building to solar energy in five years through one-time subsidies. We should make it our goal to be an entirely oil-free nation in twenty-five years.

We could further support this conversion effort by supporting entrepreneurs in research and development of renewable and alternative energy technologies through a series of federal, state, and private grants. This could lead to start-up companies and millions of new jobs, easily replacing jobs lost in replacing the fossil-fuel economy, while leading to a cleaner environment and elimination of greenhouse gases. We simply need to call upon the great creative and entrepreneurial spirit of the American people to get this done.

Let us then move beyond national policy and sign an international Emancipation Proclamation for the environment and be done with it, freeing our world from the chains of the fossil fuel economy, an economy as obsolete as the slave economy of the antebellum American South. I see no reason why we humans cannot do this.

Doubtless, the conservative nay-sayers, Republicans, oil companies, automobile industry, and other apologists for the obsolete fossil fuel economy will formulate all kinds of excuses as to why this is impossible.

That’s what other nay-sayers said when, in 1961, President Kennedy declared, “We will put a man on the moon by the end of this decade.” Whatever we think about the merits of that project, the point is that President Kennedy set a tangible goal and our nation achieved it. A far nobler goal would be a national commitment to ecological restoration, conservation, renewable energy and sustainability, a goal we could reach if only we had the leadership--and that may have to come from we, the people, because such vision is way beyond the competence of today's political leaders.

Name: jack
Location: smithfield, utah usa
Date: Thursday, March 31, 2005 at 06:57:30
Comments:

(A letter to the editor of the St. George Spectrum, 3/30/05)

The end of Sacred:

There was a place, in the midst of human encroachment, which served as sanctuary for what little wild remained. It was a rugged land, so rugged and inaccessible that surely this last remnant of what once was would remain forever, as an ark floating in a tempestuous sea of humanity. This island of life occurs in the Santa Clara lava fields. Underlying this incredibly rich fauna is a volcanic soil providing nourishment for all description of desert-hardened flora.

Then came the floods- a small trickle innocently winding its way through a sprawling suburbia began to inch its way upward to suddenly become a seething monster that devoured all in its path, including many fine homes. Another, more insidious flood of development inches its way ever outward, devouring many fine homes of “lesser” beings- our wild neighbors that get no flood relief, make no headlines, but yet no less a disaster.

An infrequent visitor to this area, I was horrified to discover a full complement of construction equipment nibbling away at the lava fields near the trail. A flood of large dump trucks was carrying it away. I later received the shocking news that an immense 2500 home retirement development, complete with RV parking, would be replacing much of what had been home to a rich abundance of life. I was heart broken, as I had been for the flood victims on the Santa Clara. It appears no place is sacred from the destructive forces of humanity. Jack Greene, Smithfield, UT 435-563-6816

Name: Stu Lisson
Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 19:25:27
Comments:

www.henrybeston.com launched by volunteers to perpetuate the legacy of the legendary naturalist-writer.
It’s hoped it will help to keep alive the legacy of the legendary author and naturalist who found truth in the dunes of the Cape and farmland of Maine.

Please visit the site.

Name: Patty Mara Gourley
Location: Oceano, California Turtle Island
Date: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 at 16:29:52
Comments:

I just read about the vote in the Senate today to open the Arctic to oil exploration and drilling. My heart breaks. I send my grief on the wings of Raven, calling for courage for this broken heart.

Mara

Name: Sara Boghosian
Location: Logan, UT U.S.
Date: Thursday, March 10, 2005 at 08:46:27
Comments:

I heard on NPR last night that Bush has asked congress for permission to drill in ANWAR. I immediately remembered the beautiful passages from Open Space for Democracy and became sad, angry, ect. I may never see what Terry saw, but I would like to think that my children will be able to if they so wish. Although I am not suprised by Bush's request, I am once again disapointed in the lack of regard for what is so much more valuable than a few months worth of oil.

Name: Charla Chamberlain
Location: Portland, OR usa
Date: Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 14:37:04
Comments:

I thank the spirit of cooperation in all of Terry's fans! It gives me hope to know that people are willing to be vulnerable in the face of constant political bludgeoning. At some point about 10 years ago I didn't believe there were people exploring deep conversation and interpersonal cooperation. I found the group City Repair, and then read Terry -- these two things together have recharged my commitment to a life of service. Thanks to all of you for all the good work you do (and will do) with engaged spirit and love.

In Community,
Charla

Name: Bill Diskin
Location: York, Pennsylvania United (sort of) States
Date: Sunday, January 02, 2005 at 00:29:05
Comments:

To Ms. Tempest Williams and her readers:

December's tsunamis in Asia, to me, seem like the Earth's strongest message yet.

I seek the wisdom of your comments and thoughts.

Sincere regards,

Bill Diskin

Name: Kaye Webster
Location: Valley Ford , Ca
Date: Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 19:18:31
Comments:

I just want to thank Terry for all the good works she does.
I met her in Sonoma County at a book signing, and felt it was a privlege.
I also grew up looking at Antelope Island (Centerville), and definitely feel a connection, esp to Refuge.
Is Terry in the process of writing any new books?
Is she completely surprised and devastated by the outcome of the election?

Name: Gary Kirkland
Location: Atascadero, California U.S.A.
Date: Thursday, December 09, 2004 at 11:04:19
Comments:

Thank you for allowing me to comment on a sign attributed to you on a wall of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I may have sent my comments to you previously. I had trouble with my computer.

The sign said, "It is no longer the survival of the fittest but the survival of compassion."

First: when white blood cells in my body attack and kill bacteria in my body, is this compassion?
Should humans be compassionate to the bacteria?

Second: when bacteria attack my body and make me ill, are they being compassionate? Should they be?

Third: was it compassion when a great white shark attacked and bit the leg of a lady swimming in the ocean near where I live? She bled to death shortly afterward.

Would you please give examples of where Charles Darwin was wrong when he proposed, "survival of the fittest?"

Thank you,
Gary L. Kirkland
garykirkland@charter.net

Name: Jim Wygand
Location: Sao Paulo, SP Brazil
Date: Thursday, October 28, 2004 at 13:34:59
Comments:

I am a US citizen who has lived abroad on and off for more years than I care to remember. I came across TTW's diary on the Orion page and decided to add my comments for what they are worth to this site.

I went to college at a time when the term "academic freedom" was widely used. I studied at the universities of North Carolina and Wisconsin--two institutions that were fiercely proud of their tradition of free thinking and free speech. I was totally dismayed at the refusal of a Florida university to allow Ms. Williams to speak when requested to do so by the students. I have learned over the years living in other societies and cultures that democracy is not thwarted or destroyed by revolutions or usurpations of government. It can survive such shocks. It is most easily destroyed by small acts--imperceptible incidents that erode the concepts that underlie freedom. By not allowing Ms. Williams to speak, the university informed all of its students that a viewpoint must be stated at "appropriate" times and under "appropriate" conditions and not have an effect on events in our society. In short, don't bother to have a viewpoint unless it supports that of those in power and causes no discomfort.

I understand from friends in the USA that colleges and universities now hire teachers on a contract basis rather than grant tenured positions. This is especially true of smaller institutions. Such practices (supposedly designed to keep costs down) keep the teacher "in line" at the risk of being fired for airing unpopular views or conducting research on controversial topics. When I mentioned the term "academic freedom" to some of those friends I got wry smiles in response. It was as if I was talking about stage coaches or black and white TV.

I suppose I have to ask (rather than affirm) if America has become so weak and so afraid that it cannot allow "controversy" or disagreement or speech that might be interpreted as "having a position". Have we become so stupid and lazy that we have decided to let others actually think for us?

I don't think it does much good to lobby for a cleaner environment, for human rights, for dignity, or any other pressing single issue if we have already allowed for the erosion of the fundamental notions of freedom that give rise to such lobby efforts. If we accept that people CAN be kept from speaking their views then HOW they are kept from doing so is simply a question of METHOD. We can gas them, shoot them, lock them up, or gag them. It is the ACCEPTANCE of the limitation that is the issue and I fear we have already accepted too much. We put children on Prozac and Ritalin to keep them quiet and "under control". We wind up ACCEPTING that rather than question whether "control" is necessary or desired. It's the control that has to be questioned. Have we lost our way?

In my college days I was taught by conservatives, anarchists, communists, socialists even monarchists. Their right to speak their views was more important than even the things they professed. They taught me to think for myself and to live in an environment that allowed debate and a diversity of beliefs and views. Every view was expressed and open to debate. You were EXPECTED to have a position and you expected to be allowed to voice that position with the requisite respect for the rights of others. If that is lost, censorship and totalitarianism are not far away.

Thanks for "listening".

Name: Bill Diskin
Location: York, Pennsylvaia USA
Date: Saturday, April 24, 2004 at 20:57:54
Comments:

If you get a chance, read Brian Doyle’s essay “Lost Dog Creek” in the March/April, 2004 issue of Orion Magazine.

Last night I read (and re-read) Terry Tempest Williams’ “Commencement” from the same issue of Orion. I went to bed troubled and bothered. A father of four, how am I to raise my children in a nation where our leaders speak of terror and our government brokers fear? How can I encourage my children to approach this world with hope, enthusiasm, and trust?

Then, this morning, I woke to a sunny spring-like Pennsylvania morning. (It’s February 29, actually. Warm February days like this really do only come around every four years in this part of the Susquehanna Valley!)

In a rare moment alone, I picked up Orion again and, for some reason, read “Lost Dog Creek” aloud to myself.

Listening to myself read -- hearing the words -- I filled with a new energy. Mr. Doyle’s description of the creek -- and its connections and contributions to things far more “massive” -- reminded me that I do not need to face Tempest Williams’ words and warnings alone. In sharp contrast to Tempest William’s interpretation of artist Mary Frank’s river of “greed” and “grief”, I see Doyle’s creek as our hopes and our freedom.

Through the courageous acts of individuals like Ms. Tempest Williams – and all of us who are willing to stand and be heard -- we can and will reclaim and reconstruct our democracy. Our children will once again run and play in its open spaces. Our creeks and lakes will fill oceans. And our leaders will be forced to listen.

As if they had washed down Doyle’s creek itself, my fears and worries of last night have swiftly passed.

At least for now.

So, to the Orion staff – those who had the wisdom and vision to put these two pieces of writing in the same issue -- I thank you. And, ultimately, my children thank you. And, as always, we look forward to the next issue…whatever it might be.

Bill Diskin
York, Pennsylvania
717-764-0942
bill@billdiskin.com

Name: patricia bulitt
Location: Berkeley, CA USA
Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 at 18:58:46
Comments:

Building a bridge of words is love is a dance from Terry. May we all send her our bridges for strength, firey warmth, and breath. A gift is in the exchange. Shouting our great delights. -Patricia Bulitt, dancer

Name: Carl D. Esbjornson
Location: Bozeman, MT USA
Date: Thursday, September 18, 2003 at 08:06:50
Comments:

Dear Coyote Clan and Friends, If you have not done so already, you must read very moving, powerful "The Open Space of Democracy," TTW's University of Utah 2003 Commencement Address, that can be found on the Home Page of this web site and which you can click on nd read. First of all, give the University of Utah lots credit for extending the invitation for her to speak but the rest goes to TTW for rising to the occasion in her usual bold, direct style, and telling graduates what they really need to hear, given the times we live in when some of the values of our nation are under direct threat from our own political leaders. I e-mailed a copy to my daughter, who is a freshman majoring in environmental studies at Pacific Lutheran University in Washington, and for whom TTW has already been a mentor through her writings, because I felt she should not wait for graduation to be told these things. If you have sons or daughters in college you should seriously thinking about sending this to them. This is by far the single greatest commencement address I have encountered in my lifetime, and maybe a rival to the likes of Emerson's "The American Scholar" and other fine statements in American letters. What makes it great is its occasion and how it rises to that occasion, because we live in a time when our land and our liberty are actually threatened by our own leaders--and to be sure by terrorists- -and by our fellow citizens who have bought into the mean- spirtedness disseminated by talk radio and Fox News (which is under Roger Ailes of willie Horton infamy). TTW speaks excellently to what is required of us and especially our youg. So e-mail it to your young, to friends nd fellow concerned citizens. With this kind of statement, TTW is taking it upon herself, whether she wants to or not, to be a leader in a nation without leaders.

Name: Ann Bruner
Location: Berrysburg, PA USA
Date: Thursday, September 11, 2003 at 05:33:47
Comments:

Help! I love Terri's writing and am trying to collect most of it. In June I ordered back issues of Northern Lights magazine. They were (supposedly) sent to me Friday, July 25, but I haven't received them. Now I can't get a response from Northern Lights by email and the phone # is disconnected. Does anyone know someone who worked at Northern Lights, so that I could get them to trace the package? Or . . . does anyone out there have back issues of Northern Lights with which they are willing to part? I could only pay shipping, since I am already out the $100 for the back issues. Please help if you can! Thanks, Ann

Name: Mike Caron
Location: Lawrence, KS USA
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2003 at 06:19:33
Comments:

While Terry was here in Lawrence as writer in residence at Haskell Indian Nation's University she mentioned several times in her public readings and in private that there are strong parallels between the Legacy Parkway project in Utah and the South Lawrence Trafficway, which would pave over wetlands that many Native Americans associated with Haskell consider sacred. There is a beautiful painting of these wetlands by Lisa J. Grossman that has been turned into a poster. It contains a wonderful quote from Terry's book RED. I have included a link to a column I wrote for our local paper about Terry and the trafficway. I hope some of you will take the time to write a letter to the Journal- World to let them know there are people beyond our city limits who are concerned about what would be lost if this highway is routed through this sacred place. Mike Caron.

Name: Nora
Location: Atlanta, GA USA
Date: Sunday, August 24, 2003 at 21:42:02
Comments:

Chantel, I too am a Mormon woman. The advice Kaarsten gave you is true--Terry's autobiographical writing isn't a missionary tract, and from her own perspective it doesn't need to endorse the church. Neither do you need to feel defensive on behalf of the church. Please know that women in the church did give blessings to one another, their children and families from the establishment of the church until the appointment of Joseph F. Smith--50 years. So there is a precedent in the church for women anointing and blessing outside the temple. See the essay, "A Gift Given, A Gift Taken: Washing, Anointing, and Blessing the Sick among Mormon Women" by Linda K. Newell in The New Mormon History. It clearly documents the orthodox history of women's priesthood rites. The question I find myself asking is not "why is Terry performing a heterdox act?" but "why aren't Mormon women still officially authorized to invoke God's blessings on their families?" And I know from personal experience that in private Mormon women still quietly bless their loved ones with the laying on of hands. So the poignant moments Terry shares about blessing her mother is not unique; it certainly is beautiful.

Name: Cynthia Wineburgh
Location: Yellow Springs, OH USA
Date: Tuesday, July 1, 2003 at 10:23:33
Comments:

Thank you for this website - I can never get enough of Terry Tempest Williams' writing! I am curious, I know she draws on deep spiritual roots and attends conferences for women writers on spirituality - would she have some source texts other than the obvious Mormon sources? or could someone in the Clan refer me? (not to general spirituality and nature books - I can find those myself, but ones particularly relevant to Ms. Williams' work)

Name: Kaarsten Turner Dalby
Location: durham, nc
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 at 12:55:09
Comments:

my comments are for chantel. a few thoughts...first, there are occasions when women did have the authority to act on behalf of the priesthood authority. there are times when women have healed through their husbands power. terry didn't make that up. however, the book is essentially one women's experience as a mormon -- her being an 'orthodox' mormon is not the lense through which she tells her story. however, that is irrelevant too. she tells it as a woman who has experienced the spiritual, cultural, and social systems of mormonism in utah. however, her depiction of her experience is not one of mormon authority. your class is probably over, but i would suggest that you encourage your class members to separate terry's experience from "mormon" experience. i might add, there is NO universal "mormon experience" - it's niave to think so. she is telling a story through her eyes...she is not writing church history as a historian. i know it's hard sometimes when you feel like you are 'defending' the church, but the best thing you can do is let the book be a story about a mormon woman and try to disassociate yourself from the gospel principles she mentions through her narrative. no one person can be an archetypical representative of any belief system, and it's unrealistic of any one person or a group of people to expect that one story written in the voice of a mormon woman will reflect completely and objectively something like 'religion' that is so personal. i hope this helps.

Name: michael
Location: hamilton, on canada
Date: Monday, June 2, 2003 at 11:48:54
Comments:

you are quite impressive. i enjoyed reading everything. i wish you continued success in all endeavors. peace.

Name: Chantel Kaiser
Location: cheney, Washington United States
Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 at 14:25:35
Comments:

I am in a state of confusion at the moment not knowing what to do about the situation I have been presented with because of Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place. We are currently reading this novel in my English 170 class and we have been dicussing different motifs and such. I am LDS myself and so I did find the book enjoyable until every ounce of information that was presented in the book about mormonism was explored in class. I have found many false facts about the religion in this book and I have been spending more time trying to explain to my class about how things in the book aren't true than getting to actually enjoy the literature. I guess I am just curious as to why such things were put in this book if they aren't true, nor ever have been. Such as women performing the Laying on of hands and blessing other women. We don't do that, nor do we have the power to. I could be taking things wrong in the book but then so is my entire class and they are all convinced that Mormon women are oppressed and need saving. I know this to be false and so my biggest question is why things were put in that are false. Since I have no way of speaking to Ms. Tempest in person I am asking her readers. maybe I am missing something, but if so I could use some help in understanding how to present the truth.

Name: D Joy Dantine
Location: SLC, UT USA
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2003 at 20:06:39
Comments:

Congrats to you, Ms. Tempest, on your many achievments including the upcoming honor at the U in May 2003. Most sincerely, JOY!

Name: Colette Jonopulos
Location: Eugene, OR USA
Date: Thursday, April 10, 2003 at 23:55:21
Comments:

Terry spoke at the University of Oregon tonight, and I was fortunate to be in the audience. We were held spellbound by her stories, her genuine humility, by the cadence of her voice, but mainly by her desire to tell the truth. I will take the memory of her talk with me as I sort through the array of untruths our government is pressing on us. And when I feel hopeless, I will remember her words about community and know that those of us who love peace, those who protect the land, and those of us who cherish truth above comfort will find a way to be heard. She's given me hope, a very welcome gift in difficult times.

Name: Claire Johnson
Location: Princeton, NJ USA
Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2003 at 14:33:11
Comments:

I first met Terry when she was a young, newly married, ardent about life, woman. From those small initial gatherings over the years I have witnessed and followed her personal growth and work with awe, admiration and love. Recently reading that she was to be awarded a Doctorate in Humanities from the University of Utah, I thought how much I would love to congratulate my old friend. Congratulations Terry and thank you. Claire

Name: Carl D. Esbjornson
Location: Bozeman, MT USA
Date: Sunday, March 9, 2003 at 09:56:03
Comments:

I just want to add some thoughts to this here community website. To share my deepest thougts, and hopes, prompted and inspired by my reading of TTW (and of course many others, including other authors and those who contribute to this website). Before I do, I want to say one thing that I hope is helpful: I keep seeing community comments asking for addresses and e-mails for TTW. Click on "Contacts" on this website and you will be able to reach TTW through her literary agent or her literary assistant, who, I am very confident, will pass along your inquiries, good wishes, etc., and help you in every way that they can, given that I am sure TTW receives an huge amount of correspondence and communication. I am gratified to find people like you for whom TTW's writing and voice are meaningful. I hope we can make her voice our own, in our own ways, and speak out and, just as important, speak to one another and give each of us en- courage-ment in these times of impending war, bad government, and environmental destruction, so that we can continually stand for an ethic of love and care for people-- and the Earth, which, as Ed Abbey rightly says, is our one true home, and through which our lives have been given and are sustained. I know you are all mindful of the Earth's wild beauty, through which we gain spiritual sustenance, not to mention physical challenge (for those who venture out into the wilderness, even if only for a day), so I anticipate no disagreement here. What I want to add is this: Personally, I believe that the spiritual life is at once practical. To say that spiritual value is not practical, as the hard-headed realists (like Dick Cheney) would like us to believe, is rubbish. Spiritual value is the most practical value of all, because, for example, while we cannot escape using the Earth and its resources, if we approach this use with gratitude and awe at the beauty and wonder of this Earth, we will use these resources sustainably and well (as Wendell Berry has said), rather than destructively as we now are doing because we have divorced spiritual value, from everyday practical reality. To me, sitting out all day and simply watching the river go by up in the Montana wilderness (I do this from time to time) is as practical as putting in a good productive day on the job--I see no disconnect. Listening to the music of mountain water gives me respite, restores my soul, gives me reason for gratitude at being given life at all on this tough, resilient,lovely planet-home, strengthens my resolve, and renews me for a life full of difficulty. Now I apologize for my editorializing and exhortations and hope you do not take offense. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, I only mean to encourage us all to really become a community (and practice the community ethic, which is an ethic of mutual help, care, and cooperation, even if we do not alwyas get along), and speak to one another, to share, and speak about what is on our minds, and speak from the heart. This is a great website, a real opportunity. We are a clan, after all, the Coyote clan no less, even if, taken as individuals, each one of us, sitting isolated at our respective computer screens, do sometimes feel alone in the world, especially one overwhelmed by evil and violence, greed and exploitation. What we sometimes fail to see is that this is also a world that could be just as easily overwhelmed by good. So, by golly I am proud to join God's dogs in a Howl-alleluia chorus, and insist upon the world's goodness that is out there in great abundance, but is ignored by the media (not to mention our own despairing thoughts). So let us tell our story, and carry on--even if it seems a "losing" argument in the era of Bush and bin Laden. As Wendell Berry says, "Just because an argument is 'losing' does not mean it should not be made." That is one sentiment TTW practices by making her voice heard. I think if the Coyote clan joins their voices with hers, we can make a difference. Despite all seeming evidence to the contrary, TTW's is a winning argument, because it speaks for life itself, and for the values that sustain life--such as love, justice, compassion, community, understanding, nurture, and care; whereas evil despite, its seemingly overwhelming power, is doomed by its very existence. Evil (which I personally believe is real)is self-cannibalizing, it is impossible for it to win. I bet there are days when even TTW feels alone, and wonders, "Why bother?" Well, she is NOT alone, none of us are, we are all out there and in this together. We need to talk to one another, go out into our communities and work places and recruit some more coyotes. We may find there are more of us than we think--then even bin Laden will have no more place to hide. Howl-allelulia!!!!!! Carl D. Esbjornson Bozeman, MT

Name: Debora R. Holmes, Managing Editor, Environmental Practice Journal
Location: Olympia, WA 98505
Date: Thursday, March 6, 2003 at 20:23:35
Comments:

I'm looking for an e-mail address for Terry Tempest Williams, in order to ask her if she would consider peer- reviewing a manuscript for Environmental Practice, the journal of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (John H. Perkins, Editor-in-Chief). The manuscript contains a fair amount of poetry. Any help on the e-mail address would be very much appreciated - thanks.

Name: Sue Danver
Location: Olympia, WA
Date: Thursday, February 27, 2003 at 15:45:35
Comments:

Snowberry Honey from Oregon, OSU, Corvallis - Fall 1995 Thank you Ms. Williams for your hauntingly beautiful voice and writing. To where may a letter be addressed so you eventually receive it?

Name: Erin Burns
Location: Randolph, VT
Date: Thursday, February 27, 2003 at 05:44:11
Comments:

I had the opportunity to hear Terry Tempest Williams speak last night at Dartmouth College. Her speech, "Memoirs of an Environmentalist", was personal, emotional and extremely brave. So, Ms. Williams, if you are reading this, I wanted to thank you for sharing your time and for giving all of hope. As an environmentalist and a Utahn myself, you truly are an inspiration. Thank you!

Name: Carl D. Esbjornson
Location: Bozeman, MT USA
Date: Thursday, February 20, 2003 at 08:28:27
Comments:

I share Ms. Williams' question/concern at the top of this community website: why are we failing to care for and speak for the natural world (and for each other, especially since we are a part of the natural world and its being penetrates our own)? Terrorism, war, injustice, environmental destruction are clear evils and it is a simple matter to despair, give up, fell overwhelmed. But if I read Ms. Williams correctly and get to the heart of what I believe she is saying in her writings, we cannot rid the world of evil, but we can fight evil with good, each of us, by using what gifts and talents we have, in small or big ways(for example, Rachel Carson, who used her gifts as a writer and scientist to speak for the Earth). We can do this by being by points of resistance, by rebuilding our world one brick, one vote, one restored ecostysem, one wildlfife and wilderness preserve at a time, and by daily acts of kindness, love, compassion, generosity, and forgiveness. Or if you do not believe in the concepts of good and evil, you can still believe in constructive and willfully destructive acts. We are called to resist destructive acts by acting contructively in life affirming ways. Why am I writing this? Why should you care? Well, one irony I find is that President Bush and Osama bin Laden share a common goal: to rid the world of evil. Strange, then, how these two supposed allies in this great cause are sworn enemies. Each one says in their own way, if you are not for us, you are against us. Their most ardent followers insist they are both men of great faith, instruments of God's (Allah's) will on Earth. And they both propose violent, destructive means to this end. Alternatively, I think we can love our country, or resist evil (that is, willfully destructive acts--for example, a tornado is not evil but a terrorist attack or carpet bombing is), by other means, by loving and caring for one another and the Earth--even if this seems a hopelessly idealistic and "losing" argument. But the beauty of "evil" is that it cannot ultimately prevail because it is doomed by its own existence. And as author Wendell Berry says, "Just because an argument is 'losing' does not mean it should not be made." As for me, I will choose the "losing" argument; each one of us can, as tiny or even large points of resistance, rebuild our world little by little, building bridges in our communities, reconnecting with the land (one of the cultural failures of our time is how people connected with the land, such as farmers, have become ardent enemies of conservation). We can do this out of sight of the media and corporate sponsored government. Fortunately, we have Terry who has become a strong, quiet but passionate voice, who is read and heard by many, many people. She is a large point of resistance. But she cannot stand alone, we cannot rely on her. We do need to respond to this. We do need to make it worth her while to speak for us and to us. I will close with another one of her questions: "How can we not respond?"

Name: eric probasco
Location: slc, ut usa
Date: Monday, February 10, 2003 at 17:16:49
Comments:

I'm writing a book on Highway 12 and I'm trying to find the article/interview in which Terry mentions Del LeFevre, a rancher in Boulder. Can anyone give me some info.?

Name: Dave Coulter
Location: Oak Park, IL USA
Date: Friday, January 24, 2003 at 18:09:39
Comments:

I just finished reading "Red". Thank you, Ms. Williams, for writing this book. I have been living in the midwest for my entire life. In Illinois we only have scattered minute fragments of what could be called the "old natural world". What remains, for the most part, is guarded pretty jealously. Illinois is blessed with some wonderful soils - enough to feed a planet - so they were put to the plow over a century ago. Utah has decidedly different terrain, but humans exert pressure all the same, don't they? PLEASE set aside all you can, as soon as you can. Illinois, the "Prairie State", has less than 1/100th of 1% of actual prairie remaining. It doesn't go on forever, but I'll bet the settlers in the 18th century thought it did! In these times it is easy to get discouraged about the reality of these matters - seemingly out of our control. And then a book like Red comes around, and shows a hopeful path. My sister is moving to New Mexico soon, and I turned her on to this book. I have a hunch she will love it, too! Anyway, when tomorrow morning comes here in Chicago, several volunteers will meet in a small nearby local woodland to continue clearing the exotic brush that has choked our forests unchecked for decades. It will be as cold as can be, but I'm sure the coffee and the merrily burning piles of cleared trash will boost our spirits! Thanks for the book...I'll be thinking and talking about it for a long time to come!

Name: Mare Chapman
Location: Madison, WI USA
Date: Thursday, December 5, 2002 at 20:45:10
Comments:

Is there anyway to find out Terry's schedule for various public talks or readings?

Name: Anonymous
Date: Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 07:47:22
Comments:

I'm fairly sure Barbara DeLosa is in Colorado at this time, with her kids. Wish I could tell you more, but I hope this helps you find her.

Name: Carol Potter
Location: Marina del Rey, CA
Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2002 at 14:41:13
Comments:

Looking for contact number for Terry Tempest Williams to invite her to be a guest at December 2002 MFA residency at Antioch University. Can anyone help? Thanks! Carol Potter

Name: Becky Amato
Location: Muncie, IN
Date: Wednesday, June 5, 2002 at 12:12:39
Comments:

I am trying to find address information so that we can send a letter of invitation to Terry for next fall's Greening of the Campus here at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana. Thank you for any help that you can give me.

Name: Keith
Location: Sacramento, CA USA
Date: Tuesday, May 28, 2002 at 23:12:50
Comments:

When I was a student at UC Davis a few years ago, Ms. Williams spoke to a gathering of students at the invitation of my literature teacher, Dr. Jack Hicks. Overwhelmed with the messages in Refuge and her other works, I leapt at the chance to hear this author in person. The big day arrived, and I wore my best, most colorful shirt in Ms. Williams' honor. Crimson and gold and shining green seemed called for. Probably thirty of us were crammed into a small classroom, hanging on each of her electric words. Unfortunately, the hour passed much too soon, and as three o'clock approached I knew I'd have to leave to go to a scheduled examination at that hour. Ms. Williams had just made a joking reference about hunters in some capacity, and another young man and I unwisely chose that moment to head for the door to get to our next class. Terry fastened her far-seeing, piercing eyes on me, and with a little laugh of delight, said "Well, there go the hunters!" I had to laugh too, but I want Ms. Williams to know that it was my mistake to have allowed a silly something like an exam to get in the way. A true Coyote would have taken a zero on the exam, and stayed and listened to a little more of the magic. I'm still a Coyote pup...forgive me? Thank you for your great effort, Ms. Williams -- for Refuge and for Red and for the blood and blessing of every last word you write.

Name: Cole D. Wilmot
Location: Amherst, MA U.S.A.
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2002 at 11:27:58
Comments:

Terry Tempest Williams made what I call a pilgrimmage to New England last week to speak with my class in American nature writing at the University of Massachusetts, lecture at Amherst College, and also take time to autograph books. I don't know if you'll read this Terry, but I'd like to let you know that it was quite an unforgettable experience. I have begun a literary project in the past week. It is being shaped as an anthology of essays concerning the intrinsic causal (and conflict-breeding) relationship between human nature and the nature we call wilderness. They also deal with mindfulness and 'small detail' observation. I am dedicating these to you, in light of not only your visit, but your thought-provoking words and kind constitution. Thank you again. I pray for your efforts in Utah to be continually successful.

Name: Glenn Parry
Location: Albuquerque, NM USA
Date: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 at 11:27:51
Comments:

SEED Open University is sponsoring a Conference entitled "GLobal Ecology: A Multi-Cultural Approach." The conference takes place May 24-26 in Albuquerque NM at the SEED campus 1700 Atrisco Dr NW. SEED is inviting Terry Tempest Williams to this conference. Please see www.seedopenu.org for details. Confirmed participants include Leroy Little Bear, Joseph Rael, Leon Secatero, Rabbi Gershon Winkler, Frances Harwood, Jesse Wolf Hardin, Merida Blanco, Gail Thomas, Nancy Maryboy. Also invited are David Abram and Robert Sardello. To phone, call Toll-free 1- 888- 818-7333.

Name: Pete Gilson
Location: Tampa, FL USA
Date: Sunday, February 3, 2002 at 08:01:28
Comments:

Trying to track down Barbara DeLosa, forgive the intrustion, but this may find her here. Barbara, please get in touch. Book deal close at hand, and your input is needed. Now back to your regularly scheduled programme Peter

Name: Ron
Location: Port Mouton, N.S. Canada
Date: Friday, February 1, 2002 at 10:24:06
Comments:

Its a pleasure to see a site designated to T.T.W. She has given much and needs to be recocognized for the talent and force she is. But while I can appreciate her need at home, she is sorely needed in Canada and would be received with warmth. I know my family would welcome her and her family to Nova Scotia for the joy of the Shelburne heritage river, ,what little remains of the old growth Acadian Forest and the massive erratics of the Tobeatic glacial plain. Come north Terry! Ron, Chris and Forest

Name: Kathy
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Date: Thursday, January 31,2002 at 22:58:16
Comments:

When I first read the Coyote Clan passage I wept for joy. Even today, I still do. At last, I have found a way to express how the landscape of the Colorado Plateau has so deeply affected me. Terry's work gives me a place to celebrate a wilderness that has changed my life, a tranquil destination to call my spiritual home. Thank you Terry and Brooke, your talents have made all the difference.

Name: Rose Moonwater
Location: Santa Cruz, CA USA
Date: Friday, October 7, 2001 at 14:23:32
Comments:

Welcome to the Coyote Clan website. I hope you will find much to inspire you here. As the webmaster of this site, I have learned a lot, and continue to learn about our world, finding resources and information, community groups that compel my participation, writing about the natural world that transports me again to the places that I love. Please feel free to add your stories. Also, I have noticed, sometimes our tails are not completely tucked...