Often referred to as a “citizen writer,” Terry Tempest Williams has consistently shown how environmental issues are also social issues that ultimately become matters of justice. Join the author, conservationist, and activist for an onstage conversation at the Moss Arts Center on Monday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m.

Presented in partnership with Virginia Tech’s Department of English and moderated by Mary Denson Moore, a senior instructor in the department, the event will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.

A naturalist and fierce advocate for freedom of speech, Williams is recognized as a writer who speaks and speaks out eloquently on behalf of an ethical stance toward life. She has testified before Congress on women’s health issues, been a guest at the White House, camped in the remote regions of Utah and Alaska wildernesses, and worked as an artist in Rwanda.

Known for her impassioned and lyrical prose, Williams is the author of environmental literature classic “Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place,” as well as “An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field,” “Desert Quartet,” “Leap,” “Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert,” “The Open Space of Democracy,” “Finding Beauty in a Broken World,” and “When Women Were Birds.”

Her most recent book, “The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks,” honored the centennial of the National Park Service and was a New York Times bestseller. Her next book, titled “Erosion: Essays of Undoing,” will be released this fall.

In 2006 Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from the Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen. She is the recipient of a Lannan Literary Fellowship and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in creative nonfiction, and in 2014 on the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Williams received the Sierra Club’s John Muir Award honoring a distinguished record of leadership in American conservation. Williams also received the 2017 Audubon New York Award for Environmental Writing.

Williams was writer-in-residence at the Harvard Divinity School for the 2017-2018 academic year and her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Orion Magazine, and numerous anthologies worldwide.

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Immediately following her talk, engage with Williams at an informal book signing in the Moss Arts Center Grand Lobby. The author’s books will be available for purchase.

During her visit to Blacksburg, Williams will participate in an informal discussion with students in Virginia Tech’s creative writing program and will meet with faculty, staff, and students from the Department of English during a private reception.

Tickets

Tickets are $25 for general admission and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.

While Virginia Tech students can always attend any Moss Arts Center performance for only $10, the center also offers free last-minute rush tickets for students who sign up for text notifications. To receive these notifications, text “arts” to 31996. Availability of rush tickets varies by performance and tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last in the box office. Virginia Tech ID will be required for admission.

Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kmcallis@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to an event.

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