Award-winning singer/songwriter
Keynote speaker
Educator
Conservation Advocate
Wendell Berry wrote, "If you don't know where you are, you don't know who you are."
As more and more places which define the American landscape are lost or forever altered, that sense of "knowing" is needed now more than ever.
Knowing our "place" restores a part of us we may have been longing for without even knowing it.
What are your stories of place and belonging?
Your place could be from your childhood or your own backyard. It could be a city street or a wilderness peak. It could be a place that you still visit, or one that is already gone or forever changed. What matters is tapping into how those places make you feel.
"In the hour she spoke and sang for us, she had all of us in the room reconnected to the land, to our special memories, and to our passion for the work." Lee Hayes, Vice President, Sippican Land Trust, MA
Mending the Rift
A question that keeps those of us who care about our planet up at night is "Why don't people care?" I belive people do care, they just don't know how to care. They need a point of entry. A way to engage. A way to personally connect.
I know it's hard to feel our connection to places on a daily level, especially when those places we love have been forever altered. But it's our disconnection from places has led us to the state we're in environmentally today.
I offer progams that mend the rift by bridging the heart and mind. I take people on a journey that often surprises them, ushering them through a doorway, where they find a connection they didn't even know they had, or perhaps had just forgotten in the rush of their everyday busy lives.
"Although I hadn't put my finger on it until the workshop, I had been struggling with a sense of loss regarding my connection to nature that first inspired me to work in this field. The workshop rekindled that connection. I left with the tools and resolve to more intentionally tap into the power of nature and place — as well as the inspiration to help others do the same. Claire Dacey, Naturalist, Educator, Landscape Historian, MA
Tools for Connecting People and Place
The music and programs you'll find here help to restore connections between people and place today, so that we may enjoy those places now and ensure they will be there for future generations. My work is grounded in the truth that we all have stories of place and belonging, waiting to be remembered and revealed.
A Soulful Landscape keynote or concert evokes and inspires a sense of place in listeners, taking them on a journey across the American Landscape and the lives lived there. Educational and transformative, each program is unique. Woven throughout are relevant links between my stories and songs and "your" place, creating a sense of place that is deeply needed in our world today.
A Soulful Landscape workshop or training provides a hands-on opportunity to discover and express your own stories of place and belonging. Ranging from a 90 minute introductory session to full or multiple day sessions, you will come away with a method of writing that connects people and place. You'll generate material you can turn into a song, story, essay or poem, or craft a talk for your visitors. You'll leave with new tools, and support for developing your ideas further. You'll feel a restored sense of place, giving you a sense of well-being you may not have experienced in a long time. Designed for all levels of experience.
Enjoy
Enjoy exploring my Website and I hope I get to know you and "your place" someday soon!
If you're looking for tools and techniques to connect people and place, or just to recharge and renew your own connection, I'd love to help.
"Her songs measure the cost of urban sprawl not in terms of species endangered, but in memories lost. Her lyrics evoke all the trails we've hiked, the streams swum, the trees climbed, and all the moments of growth enjoyed there--the silent epiphanies, the stolen kisses--without ever sounding preachy. But when she drops the truism "Your children won't know (the land) the way I did," suddenly your local zoning battle may seem a little more interesting." Yankee Magazine
Background
Just a quick note about how I arrived at this work.
I originally went to college to become a wildlife field biologist. I went on to be an award-winning singer/songwriter whose music is deeply rooted in a sense of place. About 10 years ago, in response to the changes I'd witnessed during my travels, I created the Soulful Landscape programs, (keynotes, concerts, workshops and trainings.) I have offered them at conferences, events, and learning centers across the country, from Yosemite National Park to the Walden Wood Institute to the Land Trust Alliance Rally.
In 2008 I partnered with the Trust for Public Land, (www.tpl.org) a national land conservation organization, to release my latest CD "Good Summer Rain." The CD was the winner of the National Association for Interpretation (www.interpnet.com) 2008 Media Award for "Best Interpretive Music."
"We sometimes need a guide to point us, like a compass, in the right direction—a true leader, a willing mentor. I believe we found that in Erica Wheeler." Kelly Farrell, Assistant Chief of Interpretation, Arkansas State Parks
