The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award committee has named “Interwoven: Junipers and the Web of Being,” by Kristen Rogers-Iverson, a notable book. The awards, given for best nature writing in 2018, were announced in time for Earth Day.
Copublished with the Utah State Historical Society, “Interwoven” explores the importance junipers have to ecosystems, cultures, mythologies, economics, and, sometimes, even politics and environmental controversies. In terms of their effects on human lives the juniper is among the most significant trees in the interior West. At once a scientific, experiential, historical and metaphorical walk among junipers and their interrelationships, “Interwoven” may change readers’ experiences with these trees and with the natural world.
Kristen Rogers-Iversen is an award-winning author who has worked as an independent editor and writer, as a therapeutic musician for hospice patients, and as an editor, writer and administrator at the Utah Division of State History. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Utah and is a Certified Music Practitioner.
“The SONWA emphasizes the importance of wonder as the foundation for our appreciation of nature and the values that lead to its preservation, said Alan Brew, executive director of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute.
Since 1991, the SONWA has honored the literary legacy of Sigurd F. Olson, who attended Northland College and is the namesake of the College’s environmental institute, by recognizing and encouraging contemporary writers who seek to carry on his tradition of nature writing.
Press director Glenda Cotter noted that ”’Interwoven’ is an important book about an easily overlooked tree, overlooked because of its ubiquity. But the juniper is a vital member of Great Basin and Colorado Plateau ecosystems and Rogers-Iversen has woven so much information and regard into her rich narrative about it. We’re delighted to see the book receive this recognition.”
To read more about the awards and the other winning entries visit northland.edu/news/sonwa-news/sonwa2019/.