12 Jan

Posted at 04:44h in eco writing, nature, New Mexico, shelley armitage, southwest landscape, Uncategorized by
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We're often asked to examine our "own backyards."  That is, to check out what's closest to us and perhaps not noticeable, to admit to our own glass houses when we're poised to throw rocks. And so it's particularly disturbing to realize that some of the most grizzly and unethical "hunting" activities take place in "the land of enchantment," New Mexico. Wildlife killing contests.  Have you heard of them?  Many, maybe most, people have not.  They occur in most states in the U.S. with the exception of California which recently outlawed...

07 Aug

Posted at 15:51h in eco writing, friends, nature, New Mexico, Orion, shelley armitage, Uncategorized, writers' conferences by
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We were a group of writers at a University of New Mexico workshop in Santa Fe.  Ten of us poured over xerox copies and computers; the workshop leader, a faint redhead who looked vaguely like a recreational hiker--khaki shorts and pale checked shirt--shared our reading of the day: "Raptorous" by Brian Doyle. The piece had appeared in Orion, a prestigious nature/environmental magazine, and it had all the hallmarks of perfection: great voice, pacing, vivid language, and ever present surprise.  Doyle began by discussing facts about hummingbirds and riffed on...