Nature of Writing Speaker Series
Discover your next great read in presentations by authors, artists, poets and naturalists sharing their latest works during the Nature of Writing Speaker Series
Hosted partnership with Village Books in Bellingham and Third Place Books in Seattle, this series celebrates the creative minds illuminating the natural world with the turn of a page.
For nearly 20 years, the Institute has partnered with independent booksellers and community organizations to bring leading authors on environmental issues, natural and cultural history, poetry, art, wellness and adventure together in celebration and appreciation of nature. Past speakers have included Terry Tempest Williams, Gary Snyder, David B. Williams, Richard Louv, Peter Wohlleben, Brenda Peterson, Tim McNulty, Mary Oliver, Barry Lopez and Molly Hashimoto. By bringing our community together in conversation at these events, we aim to support authors, poets and artists and amplify their voices to promote lifelong stewardship through better understanding of the world around us.
2026 Fall Series Events
by David B. Williams
Thursday, September 3 at 7 pm | Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
In conversation with author and environmental journalist Lynda V. Mapes
▸ RSVP
Thursday, October 8 at 6 pm | Village Books, Fairhaven
In conversation with naturalist & Institute co-founder Saul Wiesberg
▸ RSVP
Blending human and natural history into a vivid portrait of one of North America’s most dynamic landscapes, In the Range of Fire & Ice is a lively, groundbreaking exploration of Washington’s Cascade Range. This encyclopedic, celebratory book—illustrated with a blend of historical and modern photographs—is Williams' richest since Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound. From traditional Indigenous huckleberry harvesting grounds and ancient footpaths to erupting volcanoes, shifting glaciers, and forgotten mining camps, In the Range of Fire & Ice reveals the Cascades as a place of both deep time and constant change. While past logging, mining, and fires left lasting scars, the Cascades also tell powerful stories of recovery and resilience--returning wolverines and wolves, the remarkable rebirth of Mount St. Helens, and growing stewardship in the face of climate change. Through rich storytelling and careful research, Williams invites readers to see the Cascades not only as mountains, but as a living, evolving realm of fire, ice, and hope.
by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
Thursday, September 3 at 6 pm | Village Books, Fairhaven
▸ RSVP
Wednesday, October 14 at 7 pm | Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
▸ RSVP Coming Soon
Among the Birds is an enchanting celebration of the Pacific Northwest's birds, brought to life by New York Times-bestselling author and naturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt. Readers join Haupt on a wandering journey through the region's avian world, drifting intuitively among species, much like you encounter birds on a neighborhood amble, forest trail, or windy shoreline. More than 70 feathered residents and seasonal visitors make an appearance, connected through experience, memory, and the serendipity of daily life outdoors. Haupt's signature voice - lyrical, curious, gently humorous, and deeply observant - infuses each vignette with delight as she blends personal moments with natural history, offering a closer look at the habits, habitats, and captivating quirks of birds such as Steller's Jay, Anna's Hummingbird, Merlin, Black Oystercatcher, American Dipper, Caspian Tern, and many more.
by Miriam Horn
Sunday, September 6 at 6 pm | Village Books, Fairhaven
▸ RSVP
Monday, September 7 at 7 pm | Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
▸ RSVP
In this riveting portrait of George B. Schaller, the world’s leading field biologist, Miriam Horn captures the seventy years he spent living among wild animals in the world’s remotest regions, forever altering how we see—and save—the natural world. In Homesick for a World Unknown, Horn draws on thousands of pages from Schaller’s journals and letters, globe-spanning interviews, and two journeys into the field with the legendary scientist himself to trace his emergence as the founding father of modern wildlife conservation. It was Schaller who first guided Jane Goodall on her chimp study in Tanzania and led Peter Matthiessen into Nepal in search of the snow leopard. And while remaking wildlife science, his impact went further still: he spurred the creation of vast national parks and partnered with local communities to protect the homes they share with these animals. A vivid and captivating account of the adventurous life of George B. Schaller, here is the definitive portrait of the man who dared to challenge us to rethink our place in the natural world.
by Rena Priest
Friday, September 18 at 7 pm | Third Place Books, Ravenna
▸ RSVP Coming Soon
Saturday, October 10 at 6 PM | Village Books, Fairhaven
▸ RSVP Coming Soon
Dancing to the Ticking of the Doomsday Clock is a poetry collection for our precarious times that plays love, hope, and optimism against the harsh realities of the climate crisis, extinction, and histories of oppression. With dark humor and deftly executed tangents, readers embark on a poignant journey, oscillating between moments of joy and sorrow, wit and wisdom, hope and solemn reflection. This collection is for both poets and non-poets, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, offering profound insights and emotional resonance.
Where does the soul reside? Where does love begin? What has grown out of what has gone away? Are we miracles? These are just a few inquiries presented in Rena Priest's introspective and illuminative collection Dancing to the Ticking of the Doomsday Clock. These poems are brimming with both celebration and lament, wit and wisdom, the everyday and the profound, offering Lummi world views, songs, dances, and stories as prayer maps connecting us to this world and places beyond. – Tiffany Midge, author of Dreamcatcher in the Wry and Horns
by Marina Richie
Wednesday, September 23 at 7 pm | Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
▸ RSVP Coming Soon
Sunday, October 11 at 6 PM | Village Books, Fairhaven
In conversation with author & naturalist Lyanda Lynn Haupt
▸ RSVP
In Feathered Forest, acclaimed nature writer Marina Richie guides us into a vertical world of old-growth forests on both sides of the Cascade Crest through the eyes of the birds that inhabit them—exploring her journey as an environmentalist in her signature verdant prose. Within centuries-old groves that are critical refugia in a time of climate crisis, these winged messengers show us a better way to steward our threatened landscapes. With exquisite prose and meticulous research, Marina Richie interweaves memoir with clear-eyed notes on ecology to create an engaging blend of scientific and soulful observations. Just as a forest transitions upward from understory to midstory to overstory, so too does the trajectory of Richie’s life—from the protective cover of adolescence to the precarious yet light-filled canopy of adulthood. Richie’s love for the wilds unfurls in poetic phrasing, and her call to protect our last old-growth trees is resounding and clear. A narrative of perception change, memoir, and kinship, Feathered Forest is a soaring ode to birds and wild trees.
Mountainous
by Julia Kuo
Saturday, October 24 at 3 pm | Village Books, Fairhaven
▸ RSVP Coming Soon
When the world moves so fast, mountains seem to stand still. But mountains move and change just like you… Can you imagine? From award-winning author-illustrator Julia Kuo comes Mountainous—a wondrous exploration into mountains. Just imagine … Trek up, up, up, to where glaciers slide, volcanoes erupt, and meadow flowers burst into color. Discover all of the marvelous ways mountains sway and hum, wiggle and shake, and even make their own weather. With simple lyrical text and fascinating scientific facts about how mountains are made, how they support ecosystems and reshape landscapes, this stunning picture book is perfect for introducing readers of all ages to the mysteries of mighty mountains and the wonders of our natural world.
editors Bruce Jennings and Gavin Van Horn, poetry editor Heather Swan
Sunday, October 25 at 6 pm | Village Books, Fairhaven
▸ RSVP Coming Soon
Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm | Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
▸ RSVP Coming Soon
From the mating calls of chorus frogs to insect olfaction to elephant funerary rites to the memory-rich tastes of place, Sensoria offers an immersion in the sensual experiences of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling—and their interactions, combinations, and more-than-human manifestations. Humans, along with all other creatures, are an entanglement of sensual relations, shaping and shaped by our somatic engagement with the world. The essays and poetry of Sensoria transport readers into compelling stories and ethical reflections that stretch the limits of the moral imagination, calling attention to the wondrous ways in which humans and other-than-human beings experience and perceive the world, not just through the senses but within them. By exploring the sensorium among all forms of life endowed with different kinds of consciousness and communicative abilities, this volume highlights ecologically and socially diverse ways of touching the world with mind, and touching mind with the world.
by Emily Poole
Tuesday, October 27 at 6 pm | Village Books, Fairhaven
▸ RSVP
Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm | Third Place Books, Seward Park
▸ RSVP Coming Soon
Cascade of Life invites readers to step beyond the typical field guide and into a deeper dialogue with the natural world. Artist and naturalist Emily Poole explores the wondrous variety of the Pacific Northwest--from rocky shorelines to alpine slopes to arid steppes--through the rhythms of the four seasons, spotlighting species that are especially active at different times of year. Original illustrations and essays feature popular species like gray whales and Anna’s hummingbirds, as well as overlooked or misunderstood plants and animals, such as pickleweed and coyotes. Blending stunningly vivid paintings with personal anecdotes and field-based insights, each chapter encourages the reader’s curiosity and offers accessible, hands-on activities to deepen their connection with nature. Part field guide, part journal, Cascade of Life is a welcoming, inspiring exploration of Cascadia’s landscapes and the species that define them.
2026 Summer Series Events
Hosted by North Cascades Institute, Setting Sun Circle and Village Books
 |
|
As the biodiversity and climate crises converge, the time to support Indigenous leadership is now. But we can all do our part: Go outside. Bear witness. Make a record. Pass it on.
by Jason Dove Mark
Thursday, July 16 at 6 pm | Village Books, Fairhaven
▸ RSVP
As the climate emergency worsens and biodiversity shrinks, we humans get used to it—we adapt, we normalize, we forget. Scientists call this “shifting baseline syndrome” and warn that it’s why we are increasingly sleepwalking toward disaster. In this positive and inspiring manifesto, the environmental activist and longtime editor-in-chief of Sierra magazine Jason Dove Mark offers an antidote, focusing on four simple but powerful rules that everyone can use to resist environmental amnesia: Go outside. Bear witness. Make a record. Pass it on. Mark makes the case for easy, everyday practices that can help us “remember the Earth” and support environmental conservation, restoration, and rewilding. And he shares moving examples of citizen scientists, birdwatchers, mountain climbers, and fishermen across the country who are putting them into practice. The Earth Said Remember Me is a hopeful, achievable prescription for protecting the planet, one citizen at a time.
Photography by Kiliii Yüyan, essays by Charles C. Mann & Gleb Raygorodetsky, and foreword by Quannah Chasinghorse
Saturday, July 18 at 3PM | Lhaq ’temish-ew’xw ets’e Xwlemi’ | House of Healing, Bellingham
▸ RSVP
As the biodiversity and climate crises converge, the time to support Indigenous leadership is now. This rich, in-depth, storytelling initiative is based on growing global recognition of the critical role Indigenous peoples play in sustaining biological and cultural diversity, as well as adapting to and abating climate change. Based on the work of award-winning National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan, this book takes readers on a transformative journey to places and people living in relationship with their ancestral homelands. Vivid portraits of Indigenous men and women, youth and elders, hunters and farmers, spiritual leaders and craftsmen will reveal their ways of knowing and taking care of the land. These are concepts and skills that have been taught for generations and are based on a foundational veneration for life—which is at the heart of caring for a living planet. Guardians of Life upholds the inherent sovereign rights of Indigenous peoples to care for their ancestral lands and waters, and seeks to build a movement that would broadly benefit and sustain life on planet Earth for all.
2026 Spring Series Events
a collaboratively written book with Se'Si'Le director Kurt Russo
Tuesday, February 10 at 7 pm
Third Place Books, Seward Park
Given the rising climate anxiety and the relentless environmental and biodiversity crisis, it is increasingly difficult to envision or have hope for a way forward for all our relations and future generations. A new Indigenous-led approach to ensure equal, respectful, and productive conversations and solutions between Tribes and other invested partners, communities, and government entities is emerging. In The Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations promotes dialog with Indigenous Peoples to increase understandings, build relationships and momentum, and inspire action to support, protect, and restore our region’s imperiled lands, waters, life, and lifeways.
by Tae Keller
Tuesday, March 3 at 7 pm | Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
Once there was a tree. For two hundred years, there was a tree. There was a tree. There was a tree. Until the tree fell in a forest--and then there was a book.
When best friends Nomi, Vi, and Arthur were younger, they discovered a book of prophecies. It was so very comforting to know what was coming. But as the kids grew older, they forgot about the book. Until the final prophecy started coming true. Now, as seventh grade tests their friendship and wildfires threaten Seattle, the final prophecy promises fire and destruction. Nomi tries everything to prevent calamity. The only problem? She needs help...but Vi's acting strange and Arthur stopped talking to her. As the prophecy escalates, past and present intersect, fate and friendship collide, and secrets spread like wildfire. Together, Nomi, Vi, and Arthur must face the future...even, and especially when it's so uncertain.
by Charles Luckmann
Saturday, March 14 at 2 pm
Village Books, Fairhaven
In a world where exploration, resilience and compassion have never been more vital, Carry the Flame: The Remarkable Story of the Canadian Outward Bound Wilderness School takes readers on an inspiring journey through the rugged landscapes and transformative experiences that define this iconic institution. Packed with candid and deeply personal stories, rich history, and unforgettable moments, the book provides a rare glimpse into how the school has shaped generations of leaders, adventurers, and changemakers. More than just an essay collection, Carry the Flame serves as a testament to the enduring human spirit and the power of nature to transform lives.
Family Story Hour | Double Feature
co-sponsored by The Salish Sea School
Unfathomable: 20 Wild (but True) Stories About the Ocean by Mary Boone
AND
Twelve Daring Grays: A Whale Migration Adventure by Nora Nickum
Thursday, March 19 at 6 pm
Third Place Books, Ravenna
ABOUT UNFATHOMABLE
ABOUT TWELVE DARING GRAYS
A Speaker Series Special Event, in partnership with Third Place Books
by Suzanne Simard, in conversation with Indigenous scientist Jessica Hernandez
Monday, March 30 at 7 pm
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
Raised in a family of loggers committed to sensible forest stewardship, trailblazing ecologist Suzanne Simard has watched as timber companies leave forests at higher risk for wildfires, water crises, and plant and animal extinction. But her research has the potential to chart a new course. The forest, she reveals, is a symphony of finely honed cycles of regeneration that hold the key to protecting our forests. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, whose models of responsible forestry have been largely dismissed, Simard examines how human interventions—particularly destruction of the overstory's mother trees—endanger new growth and longevity. As she considers how older living things facilitate the conditions for new growth to flourish, Simard faces parallel rhythms of loss and regeneration in her own life, watching her two daughters grow into adults and savoring her final days with her ailing mother. Animated by wonder for our forests and the intricate practices of caretaking that have long sustained them, When the Forest Breathes is a vital reminder of all the natural world has to teach us about adaptability, resilience, and community.
by Maria Mudd Ruth
Tuesday, April 7 at 7 pm
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
Sunday, April 26 at 4 pm
Village Books, Fairhaven
The Bird with Flaming Red Feet is a lively and heartfelt natural history of the Pigeon Guillemot–a charismatic seabird with a surprising story to tell. Found along the coast around the North Pacific and from Alaska to Southern California, this talkative and often-overlooked bird plays an outsized role in the health of marine ecosystem--earning its status as an "indicator species," especially for Washington’s Puget Sound. Author and longtime volunteer surveyor Maria Mudd Ruth weaves together science, field observation, and community storytelling in this engaging exploration of one bird’s life. Along the way, readers meet the passionate citizen scientists who have built a unique community around caring for and studying this vibrant bird. Bridging the gap between field guide and memoir, The Bird with Flaming Red Feet invites readers to slow down, look closely, and reconnect with the wild places--and creatures--just outside their door.
A Speaker Series Special Event, in partnership with Village Books
by Terry Tempest Williams, in conversation with author and poet Brenda Miller
Saturday, April 11 at 6 pm
Sehome High School Theater, Bellingham
In this time of political fragility, climate chaos, and seeking beauty wherever we can find its glimmer, Terry Tempest Williams introduces us to the Glorians. They are not distant deities, but the ordinary, often overlooked presences—animal, plant, memory, moment—that reveal our shared vulnerability and interconnectedness with the natural world. They can be as small as an ant ferrying a coyote willow blossom to its queen or as commonplace as the night sky. But what they can collectively show us—about the radical act of attending to beauty and carrying forward against all odds—is immense. Journeying through encounters with the Glorians in the red rock desert of Utah to Harvard University where she teaches in the Divinity School, Williams weaves a story of astonishing personal and societal insight. As she grapples with the unsettled state of the world, she turns not to despair but to deep reflection. She sees how the Glorians are calling us all to attention, not as an army, but as fellow inhabitants of our sacred, threatened home. They remind us of the power of contact between species and the profound courage—and awareness—it will take to dream a more cohesive future into being.
by Eric Wagner
Thursday, April 23 at 7 pm
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
Every spring, thousands of rhinoceros auklets return to Destruction Island off Washington’s coast, where they dig burrows, lay eggs, and raise their chicks. Small, gray, and adorned with a curious horn on their bill, these funny-looking birds have become an unlikely but vitally important indicator for the health of the Pacific ecosystem as a whole. In Seabirds as Sentinels, Eric Wagner joins a team of scientists who have been tracking the lives of auklets and other seabirds to gauge the effects of climate change in the region. The North Pacific—sometimes called the Blue Serengeti—is one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth, supporting salmon, whales, seals, and countless other species, including people. Yet its waters are changing in unprecedented ways. Wagner intersperses accounts of research expeditions with deep dives into phytoplankton, forage fish, lighthouses, ocean currents, and other important elements in the Pacific Ocean’s tangled ecological web. Weaving together natural history, marine science, and the myriad stories that humans tell about their environments, Seabirds as Sentinels helps us keep a close watch on the uncertain future of the oceans that sustain us all.
Special Double Feature
Day Hiking Snoqualmie Pass by Tami Assars
AND
Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula, 3rd edition by Craig Romano
Tuesday, May 12 at 7 pm
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
Wednesday, May 13 at 6 pm
Village Books, Fairhaven
Within easy day-hiking distance for Seattle and Ellensburg area hikers, the Snoqualmie Pass region boasts an abundance of incredible variety: forested valleys, alpine meadows, craggy peaks, and even high desert terrain.Day Hiking Snoqualmie Passfeatures boots-on-the-ground research by seasoned Washington hiking expert Tami Asars. With 126 handpicked trails, this is the most accurate and comprehensive guide to one of the state’s most beloved outdoor playgrounds.
With hikes to rugged alpine peaks, lush river valleys, and the wild Pacific coast, Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula, 3rd Edition, is the essential guide for exploring one of Washington’s most iconic regions. Featuring 136 hikes--including 10 all-new routes--this completely revised edition is packed with accurate, boots-on-the-ground research. Hikes range from backcountry treks to family-friendly nature trails under three miles--so there are adventures for hikers of all levels. Each entry includes key details on distance, difficulty, and trail highlights.
Thursday, May 21 at 7 pm
Third Place Books, Seward Park
Saturday, May 23 at 6 pm
Village Books, Fairhaven
What happens when we truly pay attention to the natural world? Astonished by Beauty offers a thoughtful and practical guide to reconnecting with nature through the practice of natural history. Through a series of brief, intimate stories from the Alaskan Arctic to the Amazon, Fleischner reveals how both easy and meaningful it is to deepen our connection with the land and its creatures. Readers are invited to learn how to look closely, see clearly, and feel deeply the living world around them, while recognizing the vital link between our well-being and the health of the Earth. Offering simple, grounded steps to nurture this bond, the book is part reflection, part guide, calling for a life lived with care, presence, and respect for the wild beauty that surrounds us.