In her first-ever Dallas appearance, Terry Tempest Williams, naturalist and author of the environmental classic Refuge and Finding Beauty in a Broken World, discusses her latest book, The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks. Williams examines what the parks mean to us and what we mean to them. “Our national parks are breathing spaces, in a time when we’re all holding our breath,” she says.
From the Grand Tetons in Wyoming to Big Bend in Texas and more, The Hour of Land explores the unique grandeur of each park while delving into what it means to shape a landscape. Part memoir, part natural history, and part social critique, The Hour of Land is a meditation and a manifesto on why wild lands matter to the soul of America. In 2014, Williams received the Sierra Club’s John Muir Award, honoring a distinguished record of leadership in American conservation.
“The writing of Terry Tempest Williams is brilliant, meditative, and full of surprises, wisdom, and wonder. She is one of those writers who changes peoples’ lives by encouraging attention and a slow, patient awakening.” —Anne Lamott
Instagram Creative Response Project
Submit a photograph and a written memory or poetic response reflecting on a meaningful experience you’ve had in a national park. Post your responses with #DMAparkpoet; they will be collected and shared at this event.