Talk by Terry Tempest Williams at George Washington University

TTW is introduced here by her friend Bill McKibben--another writer we could have studied in this class. His book THE END OF NATURE would be an appropriate small group choice.

We are in need of a reflective activism, born out of humility, not arrogance; reflection with deep time spent in the consideration of others opens the door to becoming a compassionate participant in the world. 

TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS in a 2009 address at George Washington University

Immense Flocks of Starlings

I'd actually posted this on my personal blog some time ago. Watching theses masses of starlings reminded me of what Williams writes about the birds in Refuge, and seems to be some kind of strange, beautiful, and broken image of a possible future.

"What is the impact of such a species on the land? Quite simply, a loss of diversity... Perhaps the only value in the multitudes of starlings we have garnished is that in some small way they allow us to comprehend what vast flocks of birds must have felt like." - Terry Tempest Williams, Refuge