“Becoming Birds: Crane Maiden and Conservation”

with Brenda Peterson

Thursday,  November 3, 2022 at 3 PM Eastern Time 

REGISTER HERE

The beauty, power, and spectacular mating dances of cranes have made them highly symbolic birds in many cultures. With records dating back to ancient times, crane mythology and legends can be found on all continents; they are variously associated with prosperity, protection, longevity and peace.

Crane Maiden, Brenda Peterson’s new book, offers a new myth, Crane Maiden came from a dream: “It is a love story of people and birds; a dance, a transformative call to conserve these ancient and endangered cranes.” This stunning book is illustrated with the hauntingly beautiful shadow play of light and feathers by master Chinese artist, Ed Young.

Brenda says, “Fairy tales, both old and those that we create during this time of climate change and animal extinctions, can weave imagination and art to conserve our natural world.  Science is not enough; we need stories, myths, and folklore that connect us with our ancestral gnosis and our future fates. Myth and science can be woven together through storytelling. My work for the oceans over the decades is devoted to fieldwork with marine mammals, as well as stories that call us into a sustainable and more spiritual bond with these sentient beings who share our shores, connecting us through legend, song, story, and science.”

Through her work as a novelist and nature writer, Brenda Peterson’s curiosity about and respect for nature radiates through her 23 books, which range from her first memoir Build Me an Ark: A Life with Animals, chosen as a “Best Spiritual Book of 2001,” to three novels, one of which, Duck and Cover, was chosen by New York Times as Notable Book of the Year. Her new memoir, I Want to be left Behind, was selected by The Christian Science Monitor as among the “Top Ten Best Non-Fiction Books of the Year.” Her children’s book Leopard and Silkie was a winner of the National Science Teachers 2013 Award for “Outstanding Science Books for K-12.” Wolf Nation was chosen by Forbes as a Best Book of he Year and is out in audiobook from Audible.com. Brenda lives in Seattle on the Salish Sea. She is the founder of the Seattle-based grassroots conservation group Seal Sitters, which focuses on safety for seal pups on the beach. Since 1993 she has contributed environmental commentary to NPR and is a frequent commentator to The Huffington Post.

Brenda Peterson is a fellow of Black Earth Institute (BEI). Founded by ASWM co-creator, the late Patricia Monaghan, with Michael McDermott, BEI is a community of artist-fellows and scholar-advisers creating a more ethical world. BEI seeks to help create a more just and deeply interconnected world and promote the health of the planet. To do so, artists are appointed as Fellows for a term and Scholars join as advisors. BEI then encourages and supports its present and past Fellows and Scholars to address social justice, environmental issues and the spiritual dimensions of the human condition in their art and work. Their beautiful About Place Journal has featured the work of hundreds of artists and writers. Michael is a longtime member of ASWM’s Advisory Board, as BEI cooperates with ASWM to expand our reach to scholars and to develop special programs.

Save these dates for the next ASWM Salons:

November 17, 2022, 12 NOON Eastern Standard Time  
“Matriarchal Landscape Mythology”
Andrea Fleckinger and Heide Goettner-Abendroth

January 13, 2023, 3 PM Eastern Standard Time  
“Eruptions of Inanna: Justice, Gender, and Erotic Power”
Judy Grahn

The Salon recording will also be available to members after the event.