Our Nature of Writing Speaker Series brings community together for presentations by authors, artists, naturalists and poets, illuminating the natural world with the turn of a page. From a meditation on the lives of rivers to vibrant portraits of native species to reflections on how we are shaped in and by nature, this year’s books remind us of the transformative power of the living world and our connection to it.
After a year of journeying through their pages, we compiled a list of our favorite books from 2025 for you to enjoy. If you’d like to read or gift any of these titles, please consider purchasing from our series partners–Village Books and Third Place Books–or an independent bookseller near you.
All Humans Outside by Tommy Corey
Through sustainability and conservation work, outdoor sports and recreation, community building, and more, nearly everyone finds a way to get outside. Author and photographer Tommy Corey brings 101 of these individual stories to life on the page in stunning detail in All Humans Outside.
One of the most inspirational and motivational books I have read in a long time – first-person stories and beautiful photographs profiling a wide spectrum of people sharing how nature has helped them and their lives: as a teacher, a friend, a healer, a non-judgemental and equalizing space, a challenge and a companion. It’s important to be exposed to stories like these, to learn how people utilize and depend on natural places in different ways than I do. This is a very special book!” – Christian Martin
Corey traveled across the United States and conducted over two hundred interviews to chronicle these diverse experiences, sharing them through documentary-style photography and first-person and third-person stories. Subjects include backcountry horse rider Gillian Larson, Triple Crowner and sponsored athlete Jack Jones, self-described “seminomadic van-dwelling grandma” Pacific Crest Trail hiker Karen DeSousa, Filipinx immigrant and park ranger Francis Eymard Mendoza, adaptive athlete Annijke Wade, New York Hunters of Color ambassador Brandon Dale, bestselling author and runner Mirna Valerio, and many more. All Humans Outside is a stunning collection of stories in which everyone can find inspiration. With photography, writing, and human connection, All Humans Outside captures all the complexities and joys of the outdoor experience, and reflects on the many ways people’s live are changed in and by nature.
Close to Home: The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door by Thor Hanson
We all live on nature’s doorstep, but we often overlook it. From backyards to local parks, the natural places we see the most may well be the ones we know the least. In Close to Home, biologist Thor Hanson shows how retraining our eyes reveals hidden wonders just waiting to be discovered.
In Kansas City, migrating monarch butterflies flock to the local zoo. In the Pacific Northwest, fierce yellowjackets placidly sip honeydew, unseen in the treetops. In New England, a lawn gone slightly wild hosts a naturalist’s life’s work. And in the soil beneath our feet, remedies for everything from breast cancer to the stench of skunks lie waiting for someone’s searching shovel.
Close to Home is a fascinating, fact-filled, and inspiring read. With countless insights gained from years of research, personal observations, and interviews, Thor reminds us all that we still have so much more to learn, discover, and appreciate just outside of our front door.” – Kim Nelson
Thor Hanson at Third Place Books
Close to Homeis a hands-on natural history for any local patch of Earth. It shows that we each can contribute to science and improve the health of our planet. And even more, it proves that the wonders of nature don’t lie in some far-off land: they await us, close to home.
Is A River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
Hailed in the New York Times as “a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler,” Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reportage, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law.
Robert MacFarlane is one of my favorite living nature writers and I turn to him when I want to be reminded how to write an artful sentence, or learn new ways to uniquely describe a landscape. His wide-roaming curiosity and skills at reportage remind me a lot of Barry Lopez. In his latest book, he takes the reader to three very unique river ecosystems around the world and explores the power of nature by boot and boat.” – Christian Martin
David B. Williams (far left), Robert Macfarlane (center right) and the Institute team
Macfarlane takes readers on three unforgettable journeys teeming with extraordinary people, stories, and places: to the miraculous cloud-forests and mountain streams of Ecuador, to the wounded creeks and lagoons of India, and to the spectacular wild rivers of Canada—imperiled respectively by mining, pollution, and dams. Braiding these journeys is the life story of the fragile chalk stream a mile from Macfarlane’s house, a stream who flows through his own years and days. Powered by dazzling prose and lit throughout by other minds and voices, Is a River Alive? will open hearts, challenge perspectives, and remind us that our fate flows with that of rivers—and always has.
Out There by Lance Garland
Out There recounts one man’s search to lead an authentic life, an adventure that takes him all over the world and through some of the biggest societal changes of recent history. From a distance, this could be a typical American story: boy grows up in a religious home, joins the Navy to defend his country, returns home to attend university, then becomes a firefighter. That would be typical if it weren’t for the fact that he’s gay and was open in places that historically excluded people like him.
The most moving book I read this year! From a Naval warship in the South Pacific to glacier-carved peaks of the North Cascades, Garland’s story explores queer identity and radical self-acceptance in inhospitable landscapes. This brave, refreshingly authentic memoir is a must-read for anyone who has felt othered, and an invitation to explore the wild and beautiful places within ourselves by stepping outside.” – Britt Coy
After he was discharged from the Navy, Garland discovered time in nature as a way to heal from the experiences of his youth. While sailing, backpacking, and climbing in the Pacific Northwest, he navigates the challenges of becoming a first-generation college student, equal rights activist, and the first openly gay fireman in the Seattle fire department. Out There is a memoir of a man out in the wilderness, both physically and socially, on a journey to find a place to call his own. It is for anyone who has felt like an outsider or hasn’t found their place yet.
Pacific Harvest by Jennifer Hahn
Discover the Pacific Coast’s tastiest wild delicacies from the beach, field, and forest! Written by expert forager and guide Jennifer Hahn, this guide introduces both novice and more experienced foragers to the Pacific Coast’s ample and diverse edible species. Recognizing your local edible berries, flowers, greens, roots, tree parts, mushrooms, seaweeds, beach vegetables, and shellfish is a passport to a comforting sense of place. Hahn also highlights authentic Indigenous harvesting practices including profiles of Indigenous leaders in the traditional foods movement. Hahn emphasizes a sustainable approach to foraging, reminding readers what other beings also depend on these plants and animals as food and shelter sources.
Jennifer Hahn reads to a pack house at Village Books, Fairhaven
I’ve appreciated every book Jenny has published—from Spirited Waters to Pacific Feast—and this new guide feels like the culmination of her life’s work (so far). Her writing is deeply informed by decades of lived experience, as well as extensive academic and field research on the edible species of the Salish Sea region. Every page is rich with maps, recipes, natural history, and Indigenous voices. Pacific Harvest: A Northwest Coast Foraging Guide is a true treasure for anyone who forages the beaches, fields, and forests of the Northwest.” – Christian Martin
Positively Uncivilized by Rena Priest
From an Indigenous perspective, Positively Uncivilized examines the impact of human inhabitants on the planet earth. Alongside personal accounts of the deterioration of salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest and the loss of Indigenous history, the twelve essays in this collection emphasize the necessity of community to overcome the damage done by human socioeconomic and political systems designed to isolate and shame those vulnerable to those unfair systems.
I was utterly absorbed in Rena’s witty, lyrical storytelling! At once playful and thought-provoking, Positively Uncivilized combines personal reflections, Indigenous stories and historical perspectives to remind us that, even in divided times, we can find hope and healing in one another and in communion with the natural world.” – Britt Coy
Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of American Woodpeckers by Paul Bannick
Woodpeckers are one of the most remarkable bird species found in the avian world, and are, in many ways, the heartbeat of the forest. Informed by his own experiences in the field as well as extensive research, author and photographer Paul Bannick delves into the natural and cultural history of woodpeckers from the boreal forest of northern Canada to oak woodlands and conifer forests in the United States to the wet tropical forests of Mexico and the Caribbean.
Paul Bannick has done it again! He had been one of North America’s foremost ambassadors for both owls and woodpeckers, and his intimate (and patient!) photography takes us inside these species’ lives to give us perspectives never seen before. As The Seattle Times has noted, Paul’s books are “… at once natural history, wildlife primer, and love letter.” – Christian Martin
He captures the woodpeckers’ charismatic behavior as well as their colorful displays and sensitive habitats in astonishing images. And with accessible, science-based text, Bannick explores their courtship and nest selection process in spring; life in the nest during summer; fledging and gaining independence in autumn; and the challenges of winter survival. He compares and contrasts typical behavior and anomalies among the 41 woodpecker species in North America, and shares their conservation outlook for the future. Robust captions, interesting sidebars, and a comprehensive field guide round out this extraordinary volume.
Wildflowers of the West: An Artist’s Guide by Molly Hashimoto
We feel incredibly lucky to have collaborated with Molly for decades. She has shared her talents with our community in so many ways—teaching countless watercolor and block-printing classes, speaking in our Sourdough Speaker Series, contributing blog posts, and generously donating artwork to projects across the Institute.” – Christian Martin
Molly’s newest book is a joyful continuation of her beloved Artist’s Guide series—following volumes on the birds, trees, and colors of the West—this time celebrating the wildflowers of our region. Each book in the series is a true gem, blending natural history, personal travel stories, and expert watercolor instruction that invites readers to see the West with fresh eyes.
And one of our favorite parts? Turning a page and discovering sketches and paintings inspired by her time at the Environmental Learning Center on Diablo Lake. Molly’s work continually reminds us how much beauty lives in the details—and how lucky we are to learn from her.
Are you ready to dive into more nature-inspired reads? Meet the authors, naturalists, and artists joining us for the next Nature of Writing Speaker Series!
Through sustainability and conservation work, outdoor sports and recreation, community building, and more, nearly everyone finds a way to get outside. Author and photographer Tommy Corey brings 101 of these individual stories to life on the page in stunning detail in All Humans Outside.
We all live on nature’s doorstep, but we often overlook it. From backyards to local parks, the natural places we see the most may well be the ones we know the least. In Close to Home, biologist Thor Hanson shows how retraining our eyes reveals hidden wonders just waiting to be discovered.
Hailed in the New York Times as “a naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler,” Robert Macfarlane brings his glittering style to a profound work of travel writing, reportage, and natural history. Is a River Alive? is a joyful, mind-expanding exploration of an ancient, urgent idea: that rivers are living beings who should be recognized as such in imagination and law.
Out There recounts one man’s search to lead an authentic life, an adventure that takes him all over the world and through some of the biggest societal changes of recent history. From a distance, this could be a typical American story: boy grows up in a religious home, joins the Navy to defend his country, returns home to attend university, then becomes a firefighter. That would be typical if it weren’t for the fact that he’s gay and was open in places that historically excluded people like him.
Discover the Pacific Coast’s tastiest wild delicacies from the beach, field, and forest! Written by expert forager and guide Jennifer Hahn, this guide introduces both novice and more experienced foragers to the Pacific Coast’s ample and diverse edible species. Recognizing your local edible berries, flowers, greens, roots, tree parts, mushrooms, seaweeds, beach vegetables, and shellfish is a passport to a comforting sense of place. Hahn also highlights authentic Indigenous harvesting practices including profiles of Indigenous leaders in the traditional foods movement. Hahn emphasizes a sustainable approach to foraging, reminding readers what other beings also depend on these plants and animals as food and shelter sources.
Woodpeckers are one of the most remarkable bird species found in the avian world, and are, in many ways, the heartbeat of the forest. Informed by his own experiences in the field as well as extensive research, author and photographer Paul Bannick delves into the natural and cultural history of woodpeckers from the boreal forest of northern Canada to oak woodlands and conifer forests in the United States to the wet tropical forests of Mexico and the Caribbean.