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SOEI announces winners of nature writing awards

June 12, 2009

The Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College is proud to announce the winners of the 2009 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award. “American Buffalo” by Stephen Rinella received the award for literary non-fiction, and “Blind Faith Hotel” by Pamela Todd received the children’s writing award.

The Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Awards for literary non-fiction and children’s writing are given in celebration of Sigurd Olson’s deep understanding of the role of literature in awakening a sense of environmental stewardship. The adult award is made possible by an endowment from former Institute Advisory Board Chairwoman Eileen Long and both awards are granted by the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute.

“American Buffalo,” published by Spiegel & Grau, on the surface describes the author’s rare experience hunting buffalo in Alaskan wilderness and the even rarer experience of a successful kill. Besides his own story of hunting the bison and hauling it out of the wilderness under the watchful eyes of grizzly bears, Rinella explores the tangled history of what was once the largest herd of large mammals on the planet. Rinella unflinchingly follows the majestic buffalo’s trail through the lives of Native Americans and settlers into today, and traces its role in the American psyche.

Rinella is a correspondent for Outside magazine and has appeared in many other publications as well, including the New York Times, the New Yorker, Field and Stream, the Week and American Heritage. He is also the author of “The Scavenger’s Guide to Haute Cuisine.” A native of Twin Lake, Michigan, he currently splits his time between New York City and Alaska.

“Blind Faith Hotel,” published by Simon and Schuster, explores the life of Zoe, a thirteen year old searching for meaning as her family falls apart. Zoe is transplanted from the ocean coast to the prairie grasses of the Midwest, where she struggles to find herself amidst strangers and a strange landscape. Todd takes the reader further than this seemingly simple coming of age story on a stirring journey of connection with nature, understanding of family, and the liberating power of forgiveness.

Todd is a speaker and author, and is a core teacher at the Ragdale Foundation, an artist’s retreat in Lake Forest, Ill. She previously published “Pig and the Shrink,” a novel for pre-teens. In her free time she pursues her passion for prairie gardening.