Make Visible: Restoration Earth Journal Issue 1 Vol 1
"Lounging" by Anne Westlund
I’m happy to share the publication of my photos and poems in “Restoration Earth: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Nature & Civilization”. Alongside my work are other poems embedded within scholarly articles and the photos of Katie Batten MacDowell and my brother, Chris Westlund. This highlights how intimately wed our perception of nature and ourselves is with our thoughts about the relationship of ourselves to nature. When you read this journal, don’t see the poems and photos as discrete artwork, but as a complement to the scholarly sections, perhaps as a resting point on your journey through Restoration Earth. The sum is really greater than the individual components.
These poems reflect my spirituality along with my observations of the natural world. Except for “My Town” these poems emerged from the class, Ecology and the Sacred, that I’m taking at Ocean Seminary College. The photos are shots of deer and a seal, a child and her rabbit, and a drawing in the sand on the beach. To me, they all represent impermanence, a moment in time that my eye and camera caught: a deer resting, a seal waiting for it’s mother to come back, a young girl with her pet bunny, and a drawing of a geoglyph on the beach, soon to be washed away by the tide. I’m thrilled to contribute to the Restoration Earth Journal and to be a part of this publication.
This journal was released in November and is available as a free download, see below. It’s not every day that my work is featured alongside such illustrious scholars. This journal is put out by Ocean Seminary College and edited by Katherine Batten (MacDowell), D.Th and Mark Schroll, PhD.
Here is a description of the authors and writings included in the first issue of the Restoration Earth journal:
“Our debut issue has several contributions from students as well as several leading thinkers in the field of environmental studies and ecology and philosophy, including a previously unpublished essay by Arne Naess–the founder of the deep ecology movement and ecophilosophy; Alan Drengson a world-renowned professor and writer on deep ecology, environmental studies, and ecophilosopy; Michael Caley a well-known evolutionary biologist who has been running the ecosophical journal The Trumpeter for a number of years; and Florence R. Shepard a professor of biology and a widely published writer and the editor of all her late husband, Paul Shepard’s (whom many of you have read, one of his most famous works is Nature and Madness) work. Additionally, Mark Schroll is the leading expert on transpersonal ecosophy and for shamanic students he’s a very good brain to pick if you are working on your dissertation.
Our student contributions come from Mark Glasgow who has written a qualitative study on an interventional strategy associated with ecopsychology; Anne Westlund who has been generous and contributed her photography and poetic explorations of culture and the natural world; and Molly Remer who kindly reviewed a new text by writer Ellen LaConte for us.” ~Katherine Batten (MacDowell)
My poetry and photography can be found in the journal on these pages:
Cover: “Uffington Horse,” photo.
Title Page: “Uffington Horse,” process notes.
p.4: “Seal Pup,” photo.
p.33: “Attachment,” photo.
p.34: “A Natural Setting,” poem, biography.
p.62: “Tall Tale,” poem.
p.78: “The Next Layer,” poem.
p.96: “Lounging,” photo.
p.99: “Unbroken,” poem.
p.102: “My Town,” poem.
p.103: “Resting,” photo.
If you haven’t read Issue 1, Vol 1 of “Restoration Earth: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of Nature & Civilization” be sure to grab your copy at http://www.oceanseminarycollege.org/RestorationEarth_1_1_2011.pdf
Restoration Earth is available as a hard copy here: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/restoration-earth-1%281%29-2011/18719482
RoadWriter 