Ruby McConnell
Wilderness & The American Spirit
The WAF 2024 Book Fair welcomes award-winning author, geologist, and environmental advocate Ruby McConnell. Ruby’s work centers on outdoor advocacy and the relationships between the landscape and human experience. Her writing has appeared in Oregon Quarterly, Seattle Backpackers Magazine, Bird Watcher’s Digest, and Huffington Post, among others. Her most recent book, Wilderness & The American Spirit, is a lyrical sampler of the history of the west and its wild spirit. Ruby muses on the call of the wild; why Americans have answered that call over and over again; the dangers of the myth of wilderness, and the need for a new consciousness between humans and the earth. What a captivating read! Ruby’s book, Ground Truth: A Geological Survey of a Life, was a finalist for the 2021 Oregon Book Award. This collection of essays is rooted in the Pacific Northwest and covers changes the author sees in the vast terrain of our region from volcanoes to city parks, the eroding coastal shorelines, badlands, and forests. You can come and meet Ruby on Sunday, December 8th. Please check the official signing schedule published by Bird Alliance of Oregon in case of changes before you head out.