In her writings, Terry Tempest Williams repeatedly invites us as readers into engagement and conversation with both her and her subject matter, whether it is nature or society, environment or art. From her evocation, in Desert Quartet: An Erotic Landscape, of an eroticism of place that defines erotic as "in relation," to the spiritual connectivity and familial bonds she explores in Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place and the political engagement she urges in The Open Space of Democracy, much of her work is about relationship, connection, and community. Like much good writing, her books invite readers into thoughtful dialogue with the text. Frequently in demand for workshops, lectures, and other speaking venues and well known as an environmental activist, Williams has a public persona and voice almost indistinguishable from her written ones. Thus, the interviews she has often granted--in print, on the radio, on the Web--seamlessly elaborate the ideas and extend the explorations of her written texts. They also tell us much about the genesis, context, and intent of her books. With her distinctive, impassioned voice and familiar felicity of language, she talks about wilderness and wildlife, place and eroticism, art and literature, democracy and politics, family and heritage, Mormonism and religion, writing and creativity, and other subjects that engage her agile mind. The set of interviews gathered and introduced by Michael Austin in A Voice in the Wilderness represent the span of Terry Tempest Williams's career as a naturalist, author, and activist. A Voice in the Wilderness Conversations with Terry Tempest Williams Utah State University Press Copyright © 2006 Utah State University Press All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-87421-634-9 Contents Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................ixA Life Engaged A Critical Introduction Michael Austin..............................................................................1Memory is the Only Way Home A Conversational Interview with Terry Tempest Williams David Petersen, 1991............................13Wild Heart The Politics of Place Justine Toms, 1994................................................................................21Terry Tempest Williams Derrick Jensen, 1995.........................................................................................34The Politics of Place An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams Scott London, 1995..................................................50Terry Tempest Williams and Ona Siporin A Conversation Ona Siporin, 1996............................................................60A Conversation with Terry Tempest Williams Jocelyn Bartkevicius and Mary Hussmann, 1997.............................................72Talking to Terry Tempest Williams About Writing, the Environment, and Being a Mormon Tom Lynch, 1999...............................93Testimony, Refuge, and the Sense of Place A Conversation with Terry Tempest Williams David Thomas Sumner, 1999.....................100The Transformative Power of Art An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams Michael Toms, 2000........................................115Lighting the Match An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams Susie Caldwell, 2001...................................................131Wild Mercy and Restoring the Dialogue Reflections on 9/11 Michael Toms, 2001 and 2002..............................................146An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams Jana Bouck Remy, 2002......................................................................146Coffee Talk A Chat with Terry Tempest Williams Aria Seligmann, 2003................................................................160A Conversation with Terry Tempest Williams Delicious Living magazine, 2003..........................................................165An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams David Kupfer, 2005.........................................................................168The Wild Mind Terry Tempest Williams and the Writing Process Michael Austin, 2005..................................................176Appendix Interviews with Terry Tempest Williams.....................................................................................187Index................................................................................................................................191 Chapter One A Life Engaged A Critical Introduction Michael Austin Paradox is life. It's the same thing as balance. You can't have one without the other ... Tell me what you fear most and then we can talk about what we desire most. Then this "third thing," which in this case is conversation or understanding, becomes the creative expression of an idea. -Terry Tempest Williams to Derrick Jensen (p. 44) Critics describe Terry Tempest Williams as a paradox. In the introduction to a recent book of essay