Western society is estranged from its natural environment and lacks a positive and productive relationship with nature.  This relationship can be improved by making it more profound and intentional, most effectively by developing a sense of place.  In this book, a sense of place is defined as a deeply rooted, ongoing relationship with the environment to develop knowledge through experience and commitment to the locations in which we reside or associate with.  One tool that can be used to develop a sense of place is ritual, specifically focusing on the rituals found in the literary nonfiction texts of nature writing.  Because sense of place is so integrally bound up with narrative, literature provides us with an understanding of how nature writers have approached the challenge of creating a sense of place.

This book is an exploration of three Colorado-based authors and their works, exploring how literature, writing, and ritual can create a healthy sense of place and foster a positive connection with nature and our inner psyche.