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Gary Ferguson Writes Grief Into Beauty

The Carry Home, by Gary Ferguson

Award-winning nature writer Gary Ferguson talks about and reads from his memoir The Carry Home: Lessons from the American Wilderness.

About the book:

A haunting meditation on wilderness, conservation, and grief by the critically-acclaimed nature writer in his most intimate and riveting book yet. The Carry Home is both a moving celebration of the outdoor life shared between Gary Ferguson and his wife Jane, who died tragically in a canoeing accident in northern Ontario in 2005, and a chronicle of the mending, uplifting power of nature. Confronting his unthinkable loss, Ferguson set out to fulfill Jane’s final wish: the scattering of her ashes in five remote, wild locations they loved and shared. The Carry Home offers a powerful glimpse into how the natural world can be a critical prompt for moving through cycles of immeasurable grief, how bereavement can turn to wonder, and how one man rediscovered himself in the process of saying goodbye. In addition, it is an invitation – and in many ways, a blueprint – for how Americans might create a far more hopeful, more empowered relationship to their last wild places.

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Gary Ferguson
Gary Ferguson

Gary Ferguson has written for a variety of publications, from Vanity Fair to The Los Angeles Times . He’s also author of 22 books on science and nature, including the award-winning Hawks Rest , published by National Geographic Adventure Press. Gary is a keynote presenter at conservation and outdoor education gatherings around the country, and is currently on the faculty of the Rainier Writing Workshop Masters of Fine Arts program, at Pacific Lutheran University.

L.A. Times review of The Carry Home

Kirkus Reviews comments about The Carry Home

Chérie Newman's review of The Carry Home for High Country News

Chérie Newman is a former arts and humanities producer and on-air host for Montana Public Radio, and a freelance writer. She founded and previously hosted a weekly literary program, The Write Question, which continues to air on several public radio stations; it is also available online at PRX.org and MTPR.org.
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