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Published on Visualizing Ecology (http://www2.evergreen.edu/visecofall)

Cody Cohan

    Hannah Hinchman’s book entitled A Trail Through Leaves is one of the most interesting and helpful nature journals that I have ever come across. I would not call Hinchman’s work a book. A Trail Through Leaves is more about ideas and examples for someone with a newly started nature journal (sound familiar). I think she has many great ideas and exercises to learn more about how you draw and how you see your surroundings. She is very motivated to always keep a nature journal and says they are invaluable. I once had a nature journal for a two month period where I lived in the woods. No running water or watches for 66 days and after reading this journal, I really wish I knew where my journal was. I learned so much and became a radically different person in those two months. Going from your average punk-ass teenager to a slightly more mellow and compassionate fellow and I cannot explain how much I want to see what I wrote in my nature journal for those 66 days. Maybe I should start another one. With a nice new cover and the perfect pages that are also waterproof. As for the book itself, I didn’t feel I learned much more then how to keep a journal from it. It’s obvious that she has a strong passion for nature and is a very artistic person but maybe she should have sold this work as a how to book or a collection of journal entries. The stories are all short and she tends to ramble which would be great for a nature journal. All and all, I feel that A Trail Through Leaves was worth the read, especially this early in the year. She brings up a lot of cool exercises and examples of a way to take in your surroundings and put them on paper which will be very useful this year.

‹ Chelsea Howe [0]

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http://www2.evergreen.edu/visecofall/visecofall/cody-cohan-0