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Terry Tempest Williams, author of several nature-inspired books, brought a message of environmental activism and political change to campus at a speech on Oct. 9 in McGraw Auditorium.
The author was welcomed with an introduction by associate professor Alison Townsend.
"[She is] both seeker and visionary, and an agent of transformation who initiates transformation in others," Townsend said.
Williams is the author of "Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family & Place," "An Unspoken Hunger," "Stories from the Field," "Desert Quartet," "Leap," "Red: Passion & Patience in the Desert" and "The Open Space of Democracy."
Williams read selections from her books to the audience that ranged in topic from family to the environment.
Williams urged citizens to start a grassroots movement to help reverse the effects of global warming.
"I think the change will have to happen at the local level, the towns and the cities, and then will rise up to the federal level," Williams said.
Williams commended Newt Gingrich, former republican speaker of the house, for becoming a part of the environmental movement.
"This isn't a Republican or a Democratic issue, this is an ethical issue," Williams said.
Williams captured the audience's attention with the humor and emotion she is known for in her writings.
"She was very engaging," Angela Honeyman, a UW-Whitewater junior, said.
She also described what writing means to her by listing ways that writing has influenced her life.
"I write to discover, I write to uncover, I write to meet my ghosts," Williams said.
Throughout her speech, Williams brought up rhetorical questions to the audience.
"What is in our jurisdiction and what is not?" Williams asked. "What do we choose to act on? What do we choose to ignore?"
Williams asked the audience to think about the things they act on each day and what they choose to ignore. To illustrate her point, she told a story about a police officer who didn't do anything about strange lights a man reported seeing in the sky because they were out of his jurisdiction. Williams asked people to think about the definition of active citizenry.
Williams' knowledge as an environmental activist is very vast, and she has received many awards and honors, such as the Robert Marshall Award from the Wilderness Society, 2005 Wallace Stegner Award by the Center for the American West and the National Wildlife Foundation's Conservation Award for Special Achievement.
"Apart from the great beauty of Terry Tempest Williams' sensual, descriptive and at times almost scriptural language, her powerfully female voice, her strong ethical stance and her acute political consciousness, I think what I like best about her writing is the fact that she speaks about a world where nothing is separate from anything else," Townsend said.
Interim Chancellor Richard Telfer was in the audience. He read William's book "Refuge" several years ago, which is one of William's best-known publications.
"It was a very powerful book," Telfer said. "She talked about the interconnectedness of everything. I think that was very important."
"Refuge" describes Williams' mother's battle with cancer, which is believed to be a result of nuclear testing in Nevada in the '50s and '60s.
Cancer from fallout radiation is prevalent in areas where nuclear testing was once legal, such as Utah and Nevada.
Williams' new book "Mosaic: Finding Beauty in a Broken World," will be published in 2008.
At the end of the reading, a question and answer session was held. The majority of the questions were about environmental issues, alternatives to fossil fuels and what can be done around the world to help heal the environment.
Earlier that day, Williams attended Townsend's Nature Writing class and engaged the students in a discussion about writing, conservation and finding the balance between the individual and the community.
Williams began the discussion by asking what keeps the students up at night. Having read Williams' book "Refuge," the nature writing students' responses related to nuclear testing and the environment, both prominent themes in "Refuge."
After the class, a dinner for Williams was held at the Bassett House.
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