SLU Writers Series Presents Poet J. Drew Lanham

J. Drew Lanham is an Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology in the Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department at Clemson University. He earned his Ph.D. in Forest Resources (Wildlife) from Clemson in 1997.

In 2012, Clemson named him an Alumni Master Teacher for his work teaching conservation and wildlife management. At the same time, Lanham has stated, “I believe that it is critical that science moves into action beyond the ivory tower. Surrounding oneself with those similarly impassioned is essential to move a mission forward.” In addition to serving on the boards of several conservation organizations, including the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, South Carolina Audubon, and the American Birding Association, Lanham has also published nonfiction and poetry informed by his passion for environmental stewardship.

His Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts, was recently reissued by Hub City Press in 2021. The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature (Milkweed Editions, 2016) won the 2017 Southern Book Prize, the Reed Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center, and was a finalist for the John Burroughs Medal. Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk, called The Home Place “a groundbreaking work about race and the American landscape, and a deep meditation on nature, selfhood, and the nature of home. It is thoughtful, sincere, wise and beautiful. I want everyone to read it.”

This reading is supported in part by the Sandra Nelson Memorial Poetry fund.

Photo by Camilla Cerea