Who I am.

I write about the landscape of grief, nature, and the wisdom of fools. The author of four books, my essays, poems, and reviews have been published in over 50 journals, including in the Huffington Post and Colorado Review. I’ve won the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Award, the Chautauqua and Literal Latte’s essay prizes, and my work has been nominated for four Pushcart Prizes and named a notable by Best American Essays. My account of hiking in Yosemite to deal with my wife’s death, Mountains of Light, was published by the University of Nebraska Press. http://www.markliebenow.com.

Showing posts with label Hengistbury Head. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hengistbury Head. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Grieving Outdoors


 Mollie Taylor wrote and said that she was interviewing people for her nature and grief podcasts, and would I like to do one? 

You can listen to our podcast at this link:https://open.spotify.com/episode/28WZdhyIg6xkFobXFwqrmv


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Mollie Taylor works with the Parks and Bereavement Services in Bournemouth, England, on the south coast of England, which I think is a tremendously insightful pairing because nature is where I found solace after my wife Evelyn died. 

 

She began the bereavement group at the Hengistbury Head nature reserve, and meets weekly with those who are grieving, taking them into nature to experience its benefits. She helps them identify plants and animals, works with them on projects that benefit wildlife (like building bird houses), and provides social time for interaction. When the pandemic began restricting their gatherings, she looked for more ways of sharing content with her group, and came up with the idea of doing podcasts of interviews with people who understood the therapeutic benefits of being in nature while grieving.