North Woods:
An Interview with Laurie D. Morrissey
You are a nonfiction writer, contributing to a nature magazine column. What sorts of topics have you covered? You are also a haiku poet. What is the intersection of your nonfiction work and your poetry? Please tell us more and how to read your articles.
I used to have nine-to-five jobs that involved writing about topics that did not include nature. Now, I write mostly about the outdoors because that’s where my curiosity takes me. That journey often leads to writing, whether it’s poetry, personal essays, or nonfiction articles. I enjoy all three forms, and they all feed into each other. While writing an article on kingfishers, for example, immersion in the topic brings a deeper sense of wonder, which finds expression in one or more poems. Conversely, the moment of observation that sparks a haiku about spotted sandpipers prompts me to wonder about their life history—and then the research for an article begins. I frequently write articles for “The Outside Story,” a syndicated column produced weekly by the Center for Northern Woodlands Education. These appear in newspapers throughout the northeastern U.S. (The entire treasure trove can be found at https://northernwoodlands.org/). For a couple of years, I wrote a column for Northern Woodlands magazine about the origin of curious woods terms like “spruce up” and “pine away.” My nature articles also appear in Connecticut Woodlands and other publications.
Some of my nature writing is more atmospheric and nostalgic than scientific. I’ll write an essay or a poem about a May snowstorm, or an afternoon spent skating on black ice. I often write about memories that have stayed with me from childhood, like chasing fireflies at night, or hearing the drumming of a ruffed grouse.
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