I was born in Texas and have lived in the American southwest all my life. My writing covers a diversity of topics related to the desert and prairie landscapes, including natural history, gardening, and sustainability. I am also an avid woodworker and maker of canoe paddles, and write about the artisanship associated with paddlemaking. I have a BFA in art, and an MS and PhD in Geology, and teach in the Natural History and Humanities degree program at Texas Tech University.
Recently, I was awarded the Isotope 2008 Editor's Choice Award for Nonfiction for "Pentimento," an essay on what it means to love an ugly landscape.
My new book, How to Keep a Naturalist's Notebook, is a gentle treatise on the how and why of keeping your own personal record of the natural world. Based on years of experience in teaching, writing, and art, the book is filled with useful and encouraging instruction on field sketching, note-taking, and identification. Published by Stackpole Books, How to Keep a Naturalist's Notebook is now available in bookstores everywhere.
I am also the co-editor of and a contributor to an anthology called To Everything on Earth. This collection of works by emerging nature writers is also currently available in bookstores and should appeal to anyone interested in the literary response to nature.
If you would like me to come to your town and give a workshop on keeping a naturalist's notebook or a reading from one of my essays, please visit the "Contact Me" page on this website.
About
Susan Leigh Tomlinson
Copyright Susan Tomlinson 2008, all text and images.
